Connecting
Nine years ago I had a vision. I put myself onto a ten year plan to ready myself to implement that vision as a kind of calling for my life. This morning while washing off my twin 16 month old boys’ high chair trays I had an epiphany about that vision and it’s connection to what’s going on in the world today.
I was in my mid-twenties and realized that women today are very separated. It’s not like the fifties when everyone knew their neighbors and the women would get together during the day to hang out and play cards while the kids played without supervision in the neighborhood or play pens. Today women work or if they stop working to stay at home with their babies they probably don’t have the connections with other stay at home moms because a lot of their fellowship before baby(s) was with coworkers. I visioned a women’s center. A place that provided space for women who had various gifts like massage, counseling, yoga, to get together and bring the women of the neighborhood together. I had it all imagined in my head and I’ve even since ran across women who are doing this very thing with pangs of jealousy that I’ve not been able to bring this vision to reality for myself. But I trust Spirit. I believe that I made choices to bring me where I am today that can still lead me towards doing service to women.
Over the past few months I’ve branched out into the internet exploring the blogsphere, in particular that of twin parents and parents in general. My husband is not only a self proclaimed social media evangelist but he actually gets paid to help other businesses understand technology, the future of the internet and how businesses can use it. So I’ve got a bit of an advantage having him to share with me what’s going on from the inside out, and he’s passionate about it. I’ve dived into following link after link and am starting to learn about the various women who are known suspects in the blogger mommy world. And this morning it finally clicked for me. I know this may sound obvious but sometimes I go along doing something without completely “getting it” on the soul level. This is one of those times.
Women, Mommies, Parents, are all using the internet, the neighborhood of our time in history, to connect with each other. As the newest concepts and technology are coming out, there are people quickly grabbing hold and making use of them to create their own “women’s centers”. They share their day to day lives, experiences from the past and present in their blogs. They find each other and connect with certain personalities. They twitter and get to know each other better. They email for advice. They meet each other in person at conferences like BlogHer. And they become friends. They may live on opposite ends of the country or world, but that doesn’t matter in our world because we have the virtual neighborhood of the internet (and free long distance on our cell phones). They put up ads for each other’s home businesses, offer each other advice about how to be taken seriously as the power force that they are.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew that all of this was going on and important. But I hadn’t made the connection between THIS and my vision. So now I’m thinking in terms of, is this something that I want to be a more active part of? If so, why and what can I contribute? This center has already been built but it’s a very evolving and constantly changing environment based on each person’s individual contribution. There are many who haven’t had years of online experience, who have missed the etiquette lessons that can only come from having your heart broken by attacks and misunderstandings, or who choose not to care that there is such a thing as respect for someone that you can’t “see” (that is where this comes in). There are many who understand a hell of a lot better what to do with this because of their professions as writers, journalists, educators, etc. It’s intimidating and yet liberating to realize I can participate.
Coming back to my original thoughts and to realize that I have a question to answer.
Is my center vision still my life’s work and if so, in which neighborhood do I want to build it?
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