Relevant

First off this beautiful tree image is from The Graphics Fairy Blog, thank you Karen!  This post has been inspired by a contest that I entered in order to win a trip to Hawaii to have lunch with OPRAH!! In 150 words or less you needed to share what you would like to, "Grow" in the coming year.  We will see if I am a lucky winner but I wanted to expand on those 150 words so here we go.  

"Relevant" has been my official, “Word of the day” for some time now. I have been striving to grow personally and professionally and to remain relevant.  I planted my relevancy seed about a year ago.  I received a little manure fertilizer in the form of a layoff this past January.  Although this was not a complete shock it was nonetheless unpleasantly smelly.  The company had been struggling and the Snip, Snip sound of pruning shears was in the air.   I had been hoping that MY branch was not destined for the organics bin!  I also thought that I would be the one to pick my pruning day.   Alas and alack and sooner than I had hoped, I was lopped off.   I had to chop up that old branch and add throw it in the mulch pile.  I added some soil amendments in the form of some personal writing and reading, (Eckhart Tolle has been an inspiration), and I worked those in.  I still felt that my seedling was struggling a bit and so along with the redundancy manure and the soil amendments, I gave it an extra, "Root boost", by signing up for a free online class with Stanford called, A Crash Course on Creativity.  At the end of the course I will receive a certificate of completion.  What I have already received is growth in my creativity as well as in my job skills.  I started this blog! The cover letters that I send out are better than ever and I have had some amazing phone interviews.    

I was in my car yesterday and heard this song, A New Life, by Jim James from his new album, Regions of Light and Sounds of God.  It felt like a life giving spring shower.  Check out this video.  This is Jim James on Jimmy Fallon from the Rolling Stone Magazine website...turn it up and get ready to dance around...Fantastic!!!  

So, thanks to a little redundancy manure, some soil amendments, a few root boosters and a lyrical spring shower, my seed of relevancy is alive and flourishing.  I feel as though I am being drawn like a bud to the sunshine!  I can feel the breezes of creativity flow all around me! I continue to stand tall and firm in my anticipation for that elusive job offer.  My roots grow deeper and my trunk grows stronger and my branches sprout green and lush and reach towards the sunny California sky!