“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” - Mary Oliver, The Summer Day

The calendar calls our attention to the last month of the year. Thirty-one days of all the things…how do you feel about it?

Are you scrambling to fit your seemingly continuous to-do list into each jam-packed day of life’s chaos?

Are you journaling and setting intentions for the new year? Are you winding down amidst everything juggling the line between doing and being?

A close of a semester, an ending of a year, a step into (in the northern hemisphere at least) a hibernation winter period…what does it bring up for you?

Society shoves us into boxes, especially around this time of year: the shopper, the holiday guru, the last minuter, those who want to hide until this month is finished, the dreamers, the do-gooders, the traveler, the exercise fanatic, the baker, the organizers. At some point some amorphous entity smacked labels on things (and us), and for some reason (while many of us shun them and refuse to play the game), they stick around.

What if we ignored it all?

What if we went back to that blank slate premise and promise of childhood?

Regardless of whether your own young life was filled with rainbows and sunshine or struggle and challenges, those developmental years allow for dreams, plans, ideas, whimsy, discovery, and zero adherence to any sort of societal label. No restrictions on operations or logistics, just dreams, desires, and the will to make it happen (think: see a puddle, jump in said puddle).

What if we embraced that in the here and now?

I don’t know about you, but November fifteenth through that of January is hard for me. There’s the overstimulation of the you must have this or buy that sort of cultural implication, there’s the media push that often tells you there’s only one way to do these days, and the drive for overconsumption juxtaposed with financial challenges, grief, and those who struggle to put food on their table or help or be how they wish twists my nervous system into knots. I have mates who ‘slog through’ the other months only to get to these, and there are others who want to hide under the covers until the clock strikes midnight on the 31st of December, and many of us who limbo between the two worlds.

Where do you fall on the sliding scale?

What if we flipped the script?

What if we looked at these last few weeks of the year with the eyes of a child?

Consider playtime, like when you had endless hours to build a pillow fort, create your own school, or uncover the coolest bugs in the backyard. There was discovery, creativity, problem solving, dreaming, figuring it all out, and free-flowing thinking the entire time.

We moved from one idea to the next, strategizing, navigating logistics, collaborating, and you know, adding more pillows on top of each other so when jumping off the couch, we might soften our own landing a tiny bit. We didn’t need anyone to tell us we were in a state of flow…we just were. Without being taught about meditation, vagus nerves, or soothing energy, we were living it, completely and totally, in the midst of it all, fully centered on that wild life in front of us.

How do we channel that?

When the year begins, we try to bring every bit of newness to it. We aim for those fresh starts, changing habits, and clean eating. We shoot for joy, clarity, a newness that wipes the old away and allows for different thinking. A restart or a refresh of that one wild life.

What if we always aimed for that ideology?

What if, while enjoying these days of merriment, managing through the angst or madness of the moments, navigating the struggles and challenges of it all, we slowed down, aimed for that stillness, stopped to celebrate gratitude, and took time to breathe?

What if we thought back to those feelings of fort buildings, bug huntings, or creative common ground and looked at the world with those wide eyes. Not disregarding all those grown-up things, the challenges, struggles, disease, inequities, and political mayhem - but letting the light into those cracks, allowing our minds to dance with possibility, and take in those awe moments that unlock a different part of our being. It's a chance to dream, a chance to see with pure innocence, a chance to say what would I like to do today, right now, or with the gifted time I have on earth.

As the year winds down and we tie a ribbon around the day planner of this year, how will you challenge the ideals of society’s busyness with your magic and youthful spirit?

When you take stock of the year’s big and small stuff, what do you want to take with you, what do you want to leave behind, what do you want to improve upon? Even with the hard work, boundaries, and goal setting it might entail, what kind of person do you wish to be?

When it’s tomorrow and you look back on your yesterdays full of memories, what stories do you wish to tell?

The reins are yours. Point your eyes towards the stars, dare to dream, take the leap, be the net, refuse to take yourself too seriously, definitely dance like nobody’s watching, and give yourself permission to take flight. Stop waiting. Start today.

Your wild life is right now.

Tips and tricks to stay true to your dreams

“It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world” - Mary Oliver

Hold onto those first thoughts; shut out that niggling voice

“Instructions for living a life: pay attention, be astonished, tell about it” - Mary Oliver

Have you ever thought about when those secondary thoughts showed up?

I definitely don’t remember them in that very early childhood. Then, it was only my first thoughts. No time for those doubts to creep in, the wonderings took center stage. “Ooh, a ladybug,” “I wonder where those rainbows come from,” “there’s a jungle gym - let’s climb it” kinda thoughts were the ones that showed up…and those are the ones I listened to.

Yet, at some point, those other ones began to creep in. Call it anxiety, call it doubts, call it societal implications, call it grown-ups telling you to be careful or that the risk is too much. Whatever you call it, it arrived. The necessary ones, like, reminders that touching the hot stove isn’t the best plan, or put on the helmet before riding a bicycle and perhaps research the necessary shots and visas before heading off to parts unknown - sure, those are helpful.

But those secondary doubts that plague the minds and often shut down the dreams before they take flight? Nope, not at all helpful; in fact, highly detrimental.

They’re not unusual. In fact, most have some semblance of them at some point or much of the time. Even one of today’s most acclaimed witches meets them head on as she tells her story about a desire to run a 5k. Yet, as the authentic self nature of the actress portraying one of my most favourite characters teaches us, first thoughts hold the truth. Wrestle if you must, but try to hold onto those first thoughts; they are the ones who tell your heart’s desire.

They matter to you and are worth it. It may take work, it may take time, it may take help, but somewhere, deep down, those are the ones that will tell the story of our lives.

Channel your inner five-year old self

“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. GIVE INTO IT” - Mary Oliver

Five-year olds don’t know the idea of the beginner’s mind; they live it. They’re curious, they ask ninety billion questions a minute, and they change their mind more than we change our underwear.

In their fresh approach to the world, there is no possibility of failure, there are no limits (until someone tells them so), and they find solutions for obstacles in their path. Watch them play and you’ll see the wheels of strategy turning, witness the excitement of discovery, and delight in the awe of experiences from their perspective. No knowledge of the verbiage of solution-focused goal settings, they just shoot from the hip, go with their gut, let their wonder lead the way.

If we’re lucky, that five-year old got the chance to grow into a teenager, young adulthood, and maturity - and at some point, the world showed up with restrictions, labels, and a whole host of shoulds. When we weren’t looking, we snuggled that child’s beginner’s mind deeply, tucked it in tight, and while we may catch a glimpse here and there, it’s rare we give it permission to live loud in our daily lives.

Take a nod from Frozen’s Queen Elsa and “show yourself, it’s your turn…..you are the one you’ve been waiting for.” That tiny soul knew how to show up fiercely, wide-eyed, fearless, and open to it all. If you give them a chance, they’ll show up again. Free of the labels, unbothered by shoulds, ready to show you the way to your own authentic self.

Skip, paint, dance, sing, run, cook, try something new and stumble your way, get back up, try again, jump in the puddles, laugh, channel your sense of wonder, and give your dreams a chance at daylight.

There is no rehearsal. It’s opening night every single day. Show up with the jitters and take your place on the stage.

It’s your turn, it’s your chance, it’s your life.

Ideas are planted for a reason - step lively

“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable” - Mary Oliver

A friend once told me ideas are planted for a reason, and if we’re lucky, they’ll continue to nudge at us until we listen. Yet, remember, potentially, they won’t stick around forever and if they’re continually ignored, they might move on to the next observer.

Do you listen each time you’re poked by one of them?

We all know someone who loves all of their ideas, and we all know someone who second guesses each of theirs. Where do you fall? For many of us, we get stuck on those pesky what ifs, the fears of the unknown, and potentially the opposite thoughts of “what if it all works out?”

What if we listened? What if we leaned in, took the chance, took the step, did the thing?

What if we took Glinda’s advice and remembered we’ve always had the power? What if we became the person we want to be, the one who does the thing even when we’re afraid, and then shares our story of becoming?

Some people want to write a book, open a business, build a home, create content, or become an astronaut. What’s your dream? What idea was planted in you?

Consider the prospect of bringing that idea to fruition. Just this once, just this time, open your mind to the possibility. Shift the thought to what if it all works out? Reframe the nerves for excitement…and perhaps you turn your someday into today.

Just keep swimming - the naysayers don’t know what to do with that

“You must not ever stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life” - Mary Oliver

Jane Goodall empowered all of us to hope. “Hope is what enables us to keep going in the face of adversity. It is what we desire to happen, but we must be prepared to work hard to make it so.”

She was tireless in her empathy, efforts, deeds, and message. Hope lets the light in when the world grows dark. Hope demands action, hope requires energy, hope revs the engine when it’s really hard to continue. Her wit, wisdom, and will propelled the indomitable changemaker to impact lives every chance she got. Like her scientific discoveries and knowledge beyond the texts, Dr. Goodall tugged at the essence of hope theory, certain in its power to merge action and empathy to change the world for good.

Combining agency, movement, determination, and the power of possibility, hope theory (developed by Dr. Rick Snyder) is a powerful tool of positive psychology. Backed by empirical scientific data, the theory shines the light on the ability to push through adversity, find possible pathways to move forward, engage motivation to get unstuck, and surge ahead for those powerful pursuits of attaining a significant goal. Finding Nemo’s Dory may not focus on rigorous studies, focus groups, or findings, but her “just keep swimming” approach is purely backed by science.

The outside noise gets loud, you keep showing up. The naysayers have their opinions, you do you. Society and life continue their obstacles, you push through them.

You’re the author. You create the story. Your life, unlocked. Your one wild life: it’s here, right now.

Go live it.

Please click the photo below for a collection of my Through the Eyes of an Educator columns:

Stacey Ebert, our Educational Travels Editor, is a traveler at heart who met her Australian-born husband while on a trip in New Zealand. Stacey was an extracurricular advisor and taught history in a Long Island public high school for over fifteen years, enjoying both the formal and informal educational practices. After a one year 'round the world honeymoon, travel and its many gifts changed her perspective. She has since left the educational world to focus on writing and travel. She is energetic and enthusiastic about long term travel, finding what makes you happy and making the leap. In her spare time she is an event planner, yogi, dark chocolate lover, and spends as much time as possible with her toes in the sand.

Check out her website at thegiftoftravel.wordpress.com for more of her travel musings.