As an introspective person with strong writing skills; and as someone who’s abundantly “idea-ful,” you might think I’d have jumped on the blogging train some time ago (like in 2010 in the wake of a keynote by a social media guru at a professional conference).
Even when, last fall, I hatched this clear professional direction to become a Celebrant, the business plan I wrote called for a quarterly newsletter, but no blog.
I can only guess that, while many key ingredients for a Blog Birth were present, there was no catalyst. That is, not until my recent attendance at a workshop by one of my awesome business teachers, Ashley Sandy. And the “Ah-ha” to blog - given the nature of the business I’ve hatched - bonked me over the head in a “Duh!” kind of way.
Because I’m not *just* starting a business, Vermont Celebrants; I’m not *just* *making* my work in the world by honing my skills as a professional ceremony creator and officiant. Ultimately, what I’m doing - that excites the heck out of me! - is changing the conversation, changing behaviors and assumptions; changing the culture.
When I tell people that I officiate weddings and memorial services, they get it, but neither of us gets particularly jazzed about that. Really!
But, when I tell people that all of us experience major life transitions - events that shake our sense of self, and the role we inhabit in society - to the core… and that typically, we are expected to carry on with our lives as if nothing much happened… to shake whatever it is off; to sweep messy emotions under the rug (where, of course, they never stay), to put a smile on our faces and get on with it…. When I talk with folks about this, they get it.
And they get engaged. They can imagine the value that well-crafted, individualized ceremonies offer: a structured pause. An honoring and lifting-up of what has changed (or is changing). A circle of loving witnesses, each of whom is carrying part of the change, themselves. The chance to name and claim the emotions - in all their diverse mix - that rise up and spill over at such times. The telling of a story that centers our truth; our experience; our beliefs, and not one prescribed by history or tradition.
So I’m gonna blog about all this. I’m gonna extravert my inner musings as I hone my craft as a Celebrant, and as I navigate and explore the “industries” (for industries they are) of (particularly) weddings and funerals. And because what I *most* aim to do is change the culture and the conversation, I’ll be sniffing out whisps of opportunity for ceremony in places and around circumstances that call for pausing, holding, and tending to something BIG in life. I want to break ground and cultivate growth where no one has cared to, or bothered to.
And I invite you to join me. What big stuff have you seen go down in people’s lives? What kinds of benchmarks, hurdles cleared, and new selves have you witnessed (or can you imagine) that we should honor and celebrate? Let me know! And if you need some sparks, check out the list of types of “other” ceremonies (under “Life Cycle Ceremonies” on the left) I’ve begun on my website.
And thanks for joining me on this ride!