I began to imagine A CoCreative Path about 15 years ago, as I was moving toward my sixtieth birthday. Over the years I have learned to look at life as a Journey of the Heart, an exploration of authenticity and purpose. I have appreciated the many transitions of life as opportunities to reflect on where I am, where I have been, and where I hope to go. As I often did, I was looking at the new decade as a major threshold. I was also on my way to entering my third thirties, and had no interest in conventional retirement. I wanted to pursue the next chapter of life as an opportunity to refine and redefine my life direction.
I started to look at the threads of continuity in my life. I looked at my sense of self and worldview, the healing of life’s hurts and the areas I still struggled with, what was important to me and what was left to let go of. I considered my accomplishments, failures, and ongoing ambitions.
I never considered a career but, rather, was committed early to following my evolving interests and passion. I had started my adult life with an interest in working with my hands as well as a strong interest in spirituality and the human condition. I was a hippie drawn to the movement of social change, became a builder influenced by the “back to the land movement of the 70’s and the beginnings of green building, and explored spirituality, with eastern and western influences.
By mid life, my growing focus on spirituality, emotional healing, and cultural change took me to studies at a Mennonite seminary. With no background in that tradition, I was interested in their view of the bible centered on Jesus’ teachings, as well as their commitment to community and nonviolence. I spent the time in seminary focused on Christian history (I really wanted to understand how we got from the teachings of Jesus to the current chaos called Christianity), counseling, spiritual direction, and conflict resolution. From there, I spent about 15 years in related stipend based work and pursued my interest in intentional community.
I returned to building in my mid 50’s and was now ready to consider a new chapter. I wanted to bring the threads together to develop a green built and community oriented neighborhood. I also wanted to bring my thoughts and experience with personal growth, interpersonal relationships, and community building into focus, and a plan for sharing. Developing the physical aspects of the neighborhood took the bulk of my energy and effort, with only enough energy to in that part of the plan.
Well, the nearing completion of the neighborhood and continued growth in my own inner work and understanding of the human condition is providing the opportunity to refocus and prioritize my passion for a heart centered approach to personal, relational, and social transformation. A CoCreative Path is my attempt to focus and share my journey. My hope is to encourage and support you on an evolving Journey of the Heart.