Hello, dazzling world!
Several years back, I received a nudge of inner guidance to start a spirituality blog. It was 2009, I was a freshman in college, and I was spending an awful lot of time holding “laundry room conversations” with other students who lived on my floor. These were essentially life coaching sessions with peers that were going through rough times; they almost always took place in our laundry room because it was the only place where we could find privacy.
I disregarded this inner guidance. Don’t worry, I’m cringing too – “Hi, I’m Kelsey, I’m obsessed with spirituality and self-growth, but when I receive my own intuitive urges I ignore them.” But at the time, the idea of a blog seemed so unsuited to my strengths: I never even had a MySpace, much less a website, especially one intended to uplift and inspire – and what did I really know about spirituality anyway? Who would care enough to pay attention to my own wild exploration of divinity?
Instead, I poured my energy into all sorts of fruitful endeavors of which I am proud – I co-created a new farmers’ market from the ground up, got paid to improve the recycling program of a sizeable university, worked with a refugee family in Chicago for a semester, took a trip to Panama with Global Brigades to partner with an indigenous community on sustainable development projects, etc. I won some big awards, went to some amazing environmental conferences, became an aunt… and then I graduated college. All of my environmental work and accolades that had sustained me up until this point were yanked out from under my feet, leaving me to severely question my life purpose.
This time, my yoga teacher Emily Canibano (www.skyyogastudio.com) once again suggested that I start a blog. And this time, with nothing to lose, I listened.
I have no idea where this will take me. I have a lot to say, and it may fall into several divergent categories. I lack the fanciness and “branding” of other people on the internet, and it’s quite possible that the only person in the world who will ever bother to look at this is my mom. But you know what? My mom is awesome. So this is already time well spent.
I am inspired by Anne Lamott and Anais Nin and Jack Kerouac and Ray Bradbury and Natalie Goldberg and Allan Ginsberg and anyone else who espouses art as a spiritual practice. I am inspired by Seane Corn and Kris Carr and Louise Hay and Gabrielle Bernstein and SARK and Marianne Williamson and Iyanla Vazlant and Sera Beak and anyone else who fearlessly inspires the masses towards new paradigms of passion and self-love.
I am inspired by Betsey Johnson and Gwen Stefani and Stevie Nicks and anyone else who embodies their inner spark through fashion. I am inspired by Dennis Kucinich (oh yes, I got political) and His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama and Oprah and Julia Butterfly Hill and Van Jones and the myriad other people who work for peace and social justice without ever gaining fame. And I am inspired by Angelina Jolie, who has been my biggest idol since I saw her in a movie trailer years ago.
(If you haven’t heard of some of these people – do an internet search of their names! I severely doubt that you will come back disappointed.)
Last but not least, I am inspired daily by family and friends [both dead and alive], strangers, and those fabulous synchronicities from Spirit that continue to flow yet never lose their wonder. May we all express peace towards our planet and towards one another for as long as we live… and beyond!
xo KelseyNic
You are coming closer to being in a category with your Awsome mom.
Not only will your mother read this…..I will :] keep it up kels!
Time well spent, indeed!
<3