Creating something beautiful

We weave our lives like a basket.

We get materials to work with, and it’s up to us to decide what we’ll make of them.
Sometimes we get a teacher, a guide, to help us.

But we must do the work on our own.

The beginning steps are simple:

• Soak the reed strips

• Determine which is the smooth side, which is the rough side

• Find the center of the reed strips

• Lay them out in the proper pattern

When we get going, we may find they aren’t as easy as we thought.

The smooth and rough sides of the reed are nearly identical when the reed is wet.
And this is important to get right so the outside of our basket is smooth.

It’s tricky to find the exact center of the strips because we can’t fold them to find the spot - we don’t want to crease them.

Laying them out isn’t hard, but it, too, has its challenges - there often isn’t enough space, the reed wants to curl in opposite directions, and we’re bound to knock something onto the floor.

So then it’s time to weave.

The weaving itself isn’t hard - Over, under, over, under - many of us learned this in kindergarten, making placemats out of paper strips.

But in the early stages, the reeds don’t want to stay together, it’s hard to find the right tension and spacing, and the first few rows may look like a giant mess.

If we stop now, a mess will be all we have, so we keep going.
It gets harder before it gets easier.

But soon we find our rhythm. And we keep working.

Row by row, our basket grows.
We figure out the tension. We tighten our spacing.
And we grow confident in our abilities.

We brighten our basket with colored reeds, knowing it’ll bring joy to our lives,
And to those who see it.

We sandwich the colors with more neutral strips to hold them in place,
Weave in the handle straps.

Soon our basket is the right size and ready for finishing.

Measure. Cut. Fold. Tuck. Trim.
Add the rim, lash it together.

And we have a finished basket!

It’s not perfect.

There are gaping spaces between some of the rows,
The tension isn’t consistent,
The corners aren’t squared,
Some of the reed has frayed and needs to be trimmed.

But it is beautiful.

It holds within it our effort, our ability to persist through challenges,
Our desire to achieve, to create.

It is useful, serviceable.
And we get to decide its purpose:

Will it sit in the corner and hold magazines?
Carry our special belongings?
Be a gift for a dear friend?

We can do so much with what we’ve created.
The possibilities are only limited to what we can imagine.

And what of the scraps left behind?

No longer needed, we can thank them for playing their part
In helping us create something beautiful.

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Use these prompts as written or as inspiration to uncover what you need in your life this week. And know that I’m always here to support you and answer questions you have along the way!

• Think about how the basket of your life is woven:

  • What experiences have created the structure?

  • What gifts and talents and opportunities have you woven in?

  • What challenges and heartache mark your basket?

  • Where have you changed course to weave a different pattern?

• Who in your life has been your guide, supporting you, helping you, championing your work?

• When you look at the basket of your life, do you see the flaws? Or do you see the beauty? How can you see the flaws as part of what makes it beautiful?

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One Journaling Idea I Love:

Assessments and Integration

If you’re a fan of personality assessments and quizzes, like I am, you’ll see a natural tie in with journaling. If you’re not (yet), now is your chance to give it a try.

Choose a model - I’m a huge fan of learning your CliftonStrengths, downloading your Human Design bodygraph, and finding your Enneagram number.

Reflect on it in your journal. What’s new information? What did you already know about yourself? Where can you connect previous experiences? How can you integrate this knowledge with your pre-existing knowledge? How can you use this new knowledge to move your life forward?

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Unveil Your Inner Magic

If you’ve ever felt like there’s something missing in your life,
That there’s a disconnect between who you are and who you want to be,
That your life would be better if you could just be a little something
…more…

If you’re ready to weave your life’s basket with greater intention,
And you want a guide -

Someone who has been there, doing the work,
Building the skills

To teach, support, and champion
Unveil Your Inner Magic is for you.

We’ll use journaling and reflection as our tools
To discover and celebrate what is unique and special about you

And weave them together.
To create the beauty and impact you’ve been seeking.

Learn more at unveilyourinnermagic.com.

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Happy Journaling!