Vision Board 2025

Last year I was invited by local nonprofit expert, Marge Smith, to create a vision board. I went in with some apprehension, but as it is something that has intrigued me, I went with an open mind and created an 8.5"x11" vision for 2024.

Ten months into the year I reflected on how spot on the poster turned out to be. 

The top says: DREAM SPRING. Last October, we returned to Australia in time for their spring, which gave me a second spring.

The pile of books reflects the over 100 books I read last year.

The camera (hard to see in the picture) represents the photography class I didn't know I was going to take at the time.

ARCHAEOLOGY represents my weekly trips to Newlin Grist Mill and some other dig sites.

HOPE could represent the few months of HOPE I had that Kamala Harris would win the election.

GREAT ESCAPE I had several fun trips last year and this.

The Eiffel Tower was a miss, but in April 2025 I did return to Belgium, so maybe not so far off. 

This week Marge invited us back to create a new vision board. She has piles of magazines, junk mail, old calendars, fancy paper, stickers, and other treasures. My head gravitated towards the travel pictures and the words WHERE TO GO IN 2025. 

I was also drawn to the sticker: BE HAPPY BE BRIGHT BE YOURSELF. That's something I have not felt like being for a long time. I often feel as if I'm too much and need to be kept smaller, or feel as if I'm not good enough. I forget to simply be happy, share brightness, and be myself.

The other sticker: TRUST THE TIMING OF YOUR LIFE is the advice I didn't realize I needed. As I sat with a small group of women listening to their stories, and listening to Marge fill them with exactly what they needed to hear to go from planning to quit to planning to fight I heard her tell me I had to leave my last job. It was toxic. I'm still healing. No one else has said that to me. I felt seen. I felt loved. I felt I could make a step towards healing and stop beating myself up.

While I included pictures of places I want to go. A hot springs. Greece. France. Austria. Budapest. Canada. I also included a picture of hands connecting and realized I want to connect with people again. A rainbow. I want to fight so gay marriage stays a right. A guitarist in Argentina. I want more music in my life, and I want to go to South America. The pyramids. I want to go to Africa. A garden gnome that reminds me of the gnome in "Amelie" that traveled the world. The puffins clearly in love to remind me of my love.

I wonder if the pink background over last year's blue is a sign I'm ready to be happy and bright again.

The board is still without a vision for paid work. The paid opportunities in the past two years have found me. They've been enough financially and emotionally. More than enough.

I'll try to revisit this in a few months and let you know if it becomes as prophetic as the first one did.