Along with self-acceptance comes the need to trust in myself enough to take risks and follow dreams that were not originally in my life plan (which had always been heavily influenced by others like my parents). When I did the Artist’s Way morning pages, I realized that my thoughts always drifted towards doing more hands-on physical labor type work like carpentry. I believe now that there is a way to combine these two interests of mind to work. There are literacy programs, such as Youthbuild and Job Corps, which train young adults with a trade while helping them obtain their high school equivalencies. However, I would like to establish a literacy program, specifically for women who want to learn carpentry. Trades often provide greater hours and benefits. For example, a woman who works as a carpenter would be able to set her own hours. She would be able to work during the day, when her children are in school, and return in time to see them come home. Acknowledging where my intuitions and visions lead me have empowered and offered me a greater sense of self. Now, more than ever, I am compelled to follow my dreams of learning carpentry and developing my own wholistic literacy/trade program for women.

As I envision this dream of a new literacy program, I am excited to think about what future possibilities are possible. After training these women to be skilled carpenters, perhaps there will be funding for other literacy programs to renovate and transform their own sacred learning environments. Then the women can demonstrate to others how transformation of the outer sacred space can reflect the metamorphosis of an individual’s sense of self.