Happy New Year 2012!!

 Happy New Year!

With each new year comes an opportunity for renewal, and with this opportunity comes a sense of hope for a future in which our dreams are seized and fulfilled.  Although we always have the opportunity to make our lives more fulfilling at any present moment, the idea of "renewal" and "change" is never separated from the ringing in of a new year.

This year, I find that I am now without my beloved companion Flash, who I have had for the last 14 years. However, rather than continuing to wallow in any more destructive emotions or thoughts that have accompanied her loss, it is my desire to create a blog in which I am able to move thought beyond myself, expanding my consciousness in a way that enables me to be more fully engaged with the world I live in. 

While I intend to use this space as a means of finding fulfillment and satisfaction with her no longer by my side, I aim to use this space as a way to inspire thought, discussion, and action among a group of global thinkers and spiritually minded individuals so that we can all work together towards making the world a better place. 

This past summer, I had a beautiful opportunity to work in the marketing department of the Christian Science Publishing Society. Being in Boston, I felt like my voice was needed. That my ideas were appreciated, valued, cherished.  But, when my internship didn’t turn into the long-term job that I had hoped for, I found that my best alternative was to return home, back to the Pacific Northwest, and make the most of my situation there. However, while I was successful in securing employment once I returned home, I have not felt fulfilled- and have found myself in a situation that some would call “underemployed”. I have a 35 hr work week that doesn’t stimulate me intellectually at all. Pulling espresso shots, steaming milk, making drip coffee, and adhering to some of the most demanding, money fueled customers on the planet (welcome to Mercer Island, Washington, home to some the wealthiest people in the world), this has become my life, presently speaking.

But it isn’t me. And I can’t remember the last time that I felt like myself, or had a conversation that I found intellectually stimulating. And I yearn for that, so deeply. Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I have found that 7 years at Principia (including the three years I spent at the Upper school) have made a monumental difference in the way that I have been taught to not only view, but also respond to the world around me. And it is this education that leaves me aching for more, much more, than what I find in my current employment. Furthermore, my heart aches to love, to be loved, and without my dog, I find that the only way I can grow in my understanding of Love is by actively searching for, and being open to, the expression of Love in the world around me.

So, what is my aim for creating a blog? Other than to find something to distract myself with, as I no longer have my companion by my side, I aim to create a space in which the words I say or the thoughts I share encourage others to think deeply about the world that they live in, so they feel inspired to make a difference in the lives of others. More than anything, I would love for readers of my blog to feel like the ideas that they have are cherished and valued, feeling free to communicate their ideas with me and with others, seeing as we are all capable of influencing the world for the better. 

With love always,

Alanna Lee

alannalee.green@gmail.com