It is Friday and time to think about all of the things that I am grateful for this week.  It has been a hot humid week so I am very glad that it only takes us ten minutes to get to the lake.  We usually go at night as the sun is setting and it is always a perfect way to end the day. 
This week I have been doing a lot of dreaming and thinking about how to make some of my dreams come true.  As I  mentioned in a previous post, I want to start a group called Circle of Dreams where women  meet to share their dreams and encourage each other to find creative ways to make their dreams come true.  I have found a place to hold this workshop but I was told I would have to have my own personal liability insurance to be able to meet there.  It is interesting how a simple dream becomes complicated by the rules of the world.  As I was meeting with the insurance agent and explaining my workshop, she told me how she wasn't creative. We had an interesting conversation which reinforced why I need to keep persuing my dream.  She is exactly the type of  person I hope will join my group of creative thinkers.  As we talked about being creative and recognizing our own creativity,  her whole body language changed.  She went from being a very nice professional business woman to a more relaxed smiling business woman who said she would think more about her own creative gifts and talents.   So I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to meet this happy smiling lady today.  Without knowing it, she reinforced my dream while at the same time I believe I helped her look at her dreams a little differently.  It was a great day.  I haven't heard about the insurance yet but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be a big deal.  That I will definitely add to my list of things that I am grateful for.  What special moments did you experience this week that made the world a little brighter for you?

It is Wishcasting Wednesday and time to make a wish with Jamie Ridler and her merry band of wishcasters.  Today Jamie asked, "What door do you wish to open?"   This was just the right wish for me today.  For several years after I retired, I offered to teachers a workshop called "All About You"  It was a time for the teachers to meet once a week to take time for themselves.  Noone could talk about lesson plans, class room problems, etc.  It was a time for each teacher to reconnect with themself, to rediscover who they were, and create new dreams.  I would like to reopen the door to All About You only this time with a new name in honor of the past eight weeks (two more to go) that I have been a part of Jamie's Circe's Circle.  This has been a wonderful experience for me and I would like to change the name of my learning community from All About You to Circle of Dreams.  I would like to open the door to my new passionate learning community not just to teachers but to all women who have a dream.  As a part of Circle of Dreams, we will challenge each other with love and laughter to take time for ourselves each week.  We will give ourselves the gift of time to share, to plan, and to accomplish our dreams with the help of a loving, passionate supportive community. This is the door that I wish to open.

I just finished Chapter 2 of The Artist's Way as part of Paula's online group.  I know there are many things I could take away from this chapter but the three most important to  me are (1) to trust my creativity (2) to nuture and take care of  myself and (3) that the process not the product will become ( and is becoming) my focus.  Since retiring I have been focusing on my creative self and it has been an interesting journey.  I have learned to embrace and to celebrate my creativity.  I now have time to nurture myself although I realize this should have always been a priority.   I definitely am enjoying the process of creating and although my final products are not perfect I am happy with what I am doing.   Chapter 2 reinforced what I think I always knew but didn't always practice.  Now on to chapter 3.