Sue Gelven, will you have lunch with me? – Sincerely, Intentergy

Dear Sue,

15 years ago I began teaching at Linn High School, and so frequently was my teaching style compared to yours, that I was scared to tell others what I was doing in the classroom for fear of failing the very high expectations set by your example.

Sue Gelven 1

Sue just hanging out in Egypt.

As time has gone by, I have had the honor of not only getting to meet you but to teach some of your grandchildren and to enjoy the stories of your travels via your fabulous Facebook posts. I have watched you bounce back from the loss of your amazing husband and become a Renaissance woman with your hunting and handy-woman skills. (You use a chain saw!)

 

Sue, I would love to have a lunch with you because I believe you have some seriously powerful messages to share.

What is it that inspires you to choose the destinations of your trips? What do you remember or miss most from teaching? What lesson did you hope ALL of your students would learn from your classes? What do you hope to teach those you encounter today? Where do you get the ammunition for all the rodents you exterminate? What is your next handy-woman project?Have you written a book? Are you going to write a book? Coffee or tea?

These are just a few of the things I would love to speak about with you. My goal with Intentergy is to bring positive purpose to the day, and I know you will be a wonderful resource for me to tap into and charge some ideas for inspiration and ingenuity.

So, it is with extreme trepidation and excitement that I ask, Sue Gelven, will you please have lunch with me?

Sincerely,

Melanie A. Peters

Sue Gelven 3

Lara and Sue

P.S. Sue’s beautiful daughter (and my friend) Lara graciously let me use her photos for this post. Thank you, Lara!

 

 

Advertisement

Whack-a-mole Mentality

Whack a mole 2Have you ever felt like you are waiting to be whacked each time you get up in the morning? Is the day gonna be a pain free, pop out of bed kind of day OR is there a fluff-covered hammer coming at you?

I feel like a whacked mole frequently.

If it isn’t my kids hating every effort I make to give them a happy childhood, it is my husband who just doesn’t get why I need to worry about my endless list of concerns, or it is the cranky guy at the gas station who doesn’t think I know how to put air in my own car tires. (He really deflates me.)

Here’s the deal. Whack-a-mole is a game. It is a game of chance (just like life).

We are always going to be the mole blindsided by a whack or taking a risk to enjoy the time when that hammer doesn’t come down. Sometimes, we are the ones wielding the whacks on the other unsuspecting adventurers. Whatever the case may be, we all have the potential to be a mole in this wacky world.

The silver lining is that the Whack-a-mole game of life gives us some special rules and opportunities. Continue reading “Whack-a-mole Mentality”

Pouring From an Empty Cup…

two clear drinking glasses on table

Photo by Andreea Ch on Pexels.com

The last post that I fully drafted and shared on Intentegy was on February 28th. That was 110 days ago. So for almost a third of this year, I have not shared my Intentergy on this site. (YIKES!)

That’s okay because it’s never healthy to pour from an empty cup.

Each day life has a way of filling us up and draining all we have in one foul swoop. My days, while not all foul, definitely took a lot out of me.

This spring I witnessed, worked through, and experienced many powerful things and survived a number of challenges. Through all of the moments, minutes, hours, and weeks of existing, I continued to gather inspiration for writing, but failed to scrape together time to write.

For my absence I apologize. What I won’t apologize for is saying “No” to writing during this time. My cup was just too empty to eek out a weak post. As a reader, your time is too valuable for me to do that. Continue reading “Pouring From an Empty Cup…”