F.H.A.M. - Living With Purpose

by Christi | October 8, 2018

QUESTION:   How can I combine all of my passions to change the world?

ANSWER:   FHAM Outreach (BOOM! Nailed it!)

Actually, it wasn’t quite that easy. I had to ask three more questions in order to find my answer. 

Question One:   What am I passionate about? 

Okay, this one is easy. FHAM combines: 

my love of nature:     Floristic

my love of healing:          Holistic

my love of creating:               Artistic

and my love of the unknown:      Mystic

Okay, that’s a good start. (Great acronym btw. Thx) After I was done patting myself on the back, I got back to business.

Question Two:   Who needs help? 

Well, who doesn’t?  But let’s highlight a few groups. For this part of my project,  I started listing groups, in no apparent priority or order of importance. I just started writing them down.  Here is what I came up with:

• Our Senior FHAM - Have you ever been to an Assisted Living facility? The people in these facilities are lonely and are likely facing the end of their life.  They must be very difficult places to work (mad props to #caregivers). Seniors, in general, have needs that are often unmet. Everything from health care to loneliness to disabilities to transportation. This seemed like an easy place to start.

• Our Fur FHAM - What about pet shelters? It’s heartbreaking knowing how many “would-be” furry companions “will-never-be”. Pet abuse is a never-ending dilemma and there are a ton of animals just looking to be your best friend. Again, an easy place to start.

• Our Female FHAM - Have you ever been “looked over” for a promotion because you were pregnant? Or “filled in” a position that you ROCKED, for six straight months, while they searched for their “permanent” employee, who happened to be a much less-experienced male? Yeah, me neither.

• Our Incarcerated FHAM - This category, I admit, was a bit complicated for me. We hear the word “incarcerated” and our judgments immediately kick in. It's hard to balance being compassionate to someone who is serving time for a crime. We don't want to offend or ignore the victims. Our Outreach Program casts a large net. The world we live in is not black and white. A lot of gray goes into compassion and unconditional love.  I had to reel in my ego a bit, on this subject. But, I'm so glad I did. 

• Our At-Risk FHAM - Raise your hand if you’ve lost someone you’ve loved to suicide, experienced the foster-care system, worried about a runaway, tried to help someone with depression, are familiar with drug abuse, known someone who was raped, watched someone struggle with health care.  
  
  
• Our LGBTQ FHAM - Do I know anything about the LGBTQ community? Obviously enough to know they make the list. In my previous career as a Realtor, I tried to have extremely high ethics and treat everyone fairly. By law, (most of us didn’t need the law to remind us, but there were some…..) we were required to not discriminate. They taught us this acronym to help us remember the protected classes. FRESH CORN (Familial, Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Handicap and Color, Origin, Religion, and Nationality) These were the Federally protected classes. Colorado was cool and added Margarine And Salt (Marital status, Age and Sexual Identity) Now, I am aware that “Handicapped” is now referred to as “Disability” and margarine is bad for you, but you get the gist of it. So come on, people. We're well into the 21st Century. Can we all agree that fresh corn with margarine and salt make this an amazing world?

• Our Military FHAM - This is one of the easiest categories to list, and also one of the hardest. Case in point: I am forever grateful to all who have served so that I may enjoy the freedoms that envelop my life. I have family members and friends that have served. Two of my children are currently serving in the US Navy - HOOYAH!  Our country has not done the best job with our Veterans. The damage that is so apparent in our returning Vets is astonishing, to say the least. I also realize that my next category is Our Universal FHAM ie: world peace, "why can't we all just get along?" -Justice - Equality - Freedom - the whole 9-yards. But as I said before, our world is gray. It would be PERFECT if we did have WORLD PEACE. Everyone would benefit. But until we are in that position, I must acknowledge our right to defend our freedom. And, trust me, this is not an easy thing to write. I kneel during the National Anthem AND I love my country. I, like many of the people in this world, am a complex human being. I struggle to find balance. But balance IS possible. Just not with the Martians. ;-)

And this concludes my “comfort zone” list. I have experienced all of the above in one way or another. Now…..to challenge myself and step outside of my cushion.  I do struggle with being a white girl in this day and age. Never having to go through what others live on a daily basis. Although I have felt discrimination as a woman, I have never had to explain why I love who I love, assumed to be a thief, assumed to be stupid, and (I just love this one from ignorance) being told to speak “American”! Smh!  I have never had to rely on assistance to feed everyone. I have never walked to school, dodging bullets. My country is not war-torn, and I am beyond grateful for the freedoms that I enjoy. I have lived a privileged life while others struggle just to live their life….without interference from anyone. Still, I feel the need to help in ways that I am not experienced in. And this is where I include

• Our Universal FHAM - Honestly, I don't even know where to start with this list. I am so inexperienced in the inequalities that people, here in our country and around the globe, encounter on a daily basis. The Basic Human rights to not be tortured, not have slavery, fairness in courts, democracy. To be able to think and say what you want, to have your own stuff, meet where you want, balance work and play. You shouldn't even have to think twice about access to food, water, fresh air, shelter, and education. Yet many people are lacking in these very areas. But, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, so I will wade through this category and continue to grow and a human being.  Which brings us to...

...Question Three:   How can I accomplish this?

The nuts and bolts of the story. Where do I start? How do I tackle my obstacles?  I had come full circle. The answer was right there....JUST DO WHAT YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT.

Long story short (...too late) here was my simple yet amazing plan:

1. I wrote down all of the things I'm capable of. 
2. I wrote down all of the ways people in these categories could possibly benefit from my capabilities. 
3. I matched them up.

I know...pure genius.

I began by outlining my volunteer goals. Without expecting anything back, I'm a big believer in KARMA. Giving to those who are in need, healing those who need healed, makes me a better person, which is ultimately my goal in life. 

But, alas, there is food to buy and rent to pay, so I began outlining my profitable business plan, as well. I was making good progress. I am definitely a self-starter. I am independent and Brilliant AF. I'm pretty much a badass.  But, as much as I display these superpowers that all women possess, 

I began to realize that my weaknesses were showing. One very troubling weakness was the fact that I'm an introvert.  Yeah, you don't have to say a word. I realize how ironic my whole plight is: an introvert interacting with people. I learned that it can be done. It just takes a lot of work.  

The next weakness? Accepting help. What? I'm sorry...what did I say? It is not my nature to rely on anyone, accept help, look weak, or show my vulnerabilities. Did I actually think I, ALONE, was going to make a dent in the amount of true work that needed to be done in this world? I had to shift gears.  "GET OVER YOURSELF" was my new mantra! I understood mathematics. The more people that help, the easier the load, the more people that benefit. So I started contacting people. Other artists, mystics, energy healers, writers, nature lovers, anyone who understood my plight and would willingly help me. "NOW we're cooking with hot water" as my Grandpa used to say. 

The more involved I get, the more I begin to understand the benefits of a global community. People healing themselves and in turn, healing the world. It is the only way to live, imho. We are all important. We are all worthy. I need other people, just as much as they need me. 

There are so many ways to dig into your surrounding energies and sort your shit. I make an effort to utilize all of the tools in my possession. Listening to my intuition, my guides, my tarot, the elements of earth, air, fire and water, the stars, the universe, my fellow humanitarians, nature and most importantly, love! 

As I continue to find my way forward, I feel my Radiant Essence returning. My soul has found it's voice. I live my truth and it is beyond what I imagined it could be. This is what I call LIVING WITH PURPOSE.