Intent
When Moments pivot to Hope. An invisible Compass of Wonder.
The Way Home
In fields of hope where daylight starts to rise,
A gentle positivity opens up our eyes.
The path to health, a journey to embrace,
With every step, we find a steady pace.
And in this world, we know a vibrant MUCHNESS,
Of life abundant, full of strength and richness.
No more defined by shadows of the past,
Our spirits now renewed, forever meant to last.
In paths afar, my spirit lost its way,
Chasing the world’s demands from day to day.
But in the quiet deep, a whisper soft and low,
A call to stillness, where my true self can grow.
No need to search the horizons, wide and free,
The map is drawn in the heart of who I’m meant to be.
With every breath, I shed the masks I’ve worn,
Returning to my Self, where peace and strength are born.
~ The Way Home 2026.
I am making with Intent, setting my course of action, and choosing my direction by where I Fit (all of me). Because the way home is found by traveling in one’s heart.
In researching resilience, finding hope in the face of darkness, identifying patterns of behavior, and mapping one’s journey, I am starting my Do-over for 2026.
Intent: when a moment turns to Hope.
We cannot literally rewind time and relive our life, but we can create “do-overs” in the present by learning from the past, making our amends, and choosing intentional actions. Intent is when our every moment turns to Hope.
The “Do-Over” Mindset
We reframe with our intent. The human spirit possesses a unique psychological mechanism for temporal navigation: the "do-over." This is not an act of magic, but a deliberate shift in perspective. A do-over occurs when we stop being victims of our history and start being architects of our present. At the heart of this transformation is Intent—the precise point where a fleeting, often painful moment is transmuted into the enduring energy of Hope.
To create a do-over in the present, one must engage in a three-fold process: learning, amending, and choosing. Learning requires the courage to look at our previous failures without the fog of denial. Making amends requires the humility to repair the relational or internal damage those failures caused. However, the final step—choosing intentional action—is where the real alchemy happens. It is the moment we realize that while we cannot change the start of our story, we can change the next sentence. This intentionality serves as a bridge, allowing us to carry the wisdom of "then" into the vitality of "now."
Alchemy - id ( al-kem’-ee )
The famous goal of turning lead or other cheap metals into gold; a deeper quest for purifying the soul and achieving inner wisdom; “a seemingly magical process of transforming or combining elements into something new.” One could also argue alchemy is taking something like a bad experience or pain from trauma and creating a purpose out of it, something new and positive from the struggle.
Intent as the Pivot Point
A “moment” is often a heavy thing. It can be weighed down by regret, stagnation, or the simple inertia of habit. When we live without intent, we are merely reacting to these moments, allowing the momentum of our past to dictate our future.
Intent is the interruption of that momentum. It is the conscious decision to infuse a single moment with purpose. When we apply intent to a moment of struggle, that moment ceases to be a dead end and becomes a pivot point. This is the exact instant where Hope is born. Hope is not a passive wish that things will get better; it is the active conviction that we have the agency to make them better. Intent is the catalyst that turns the “I wish” of the dreamer into the “I will” of the achiever.
Reframing the Present
To live with a do-over mindset is to live in a state of constant reframing. We no longer see a mistake as a permanent stain, but as the necessary data for a new direction. By choosing intentional actions today, we provide ourselves with the closure that the past could never offer.
When we apologize to a loved one for an old grievance, we are not just fixing a relationship; we are intentionally creating a new moment of connection that replaces the old moment of discord. When we choose discipline over an old vice, we are using the present to “out-vote” the past. In these instances, the heavy weight of “what was” is lifted by the hopeful possibility of “what can be.”
We are all tethered to a history we cannot change, but we are not imprisoned by it. By adopting the "do-over" mindset, we recognize that every breath is a chance to start again. Intent is the spark that lights the way. It is the moment of realization that our power does not lie in the ability to rewrite the past, but in the authority to author the present. When we act with intent, we prove that even the darkest moments can be turned toward the light. In the hands of an intentional person, every moment has the potential to turn into Hope.
Intent: an invisible compass of meaning and wonder.
In the sprawling, often chaotic landscape of human experience, we frequently find ourselves adrift in a “dense forest” of external expectations and sensory noise. Yet, within this complexity, there exists an “invisible compass” that directs the true course of a meaningful life: Intent. While goals provide us with specific destinations, intent acts as the needle that aligns our present actions with our deepest values, transforming the mundane into a journey of wonder.
The Orientation of Meaning
Meaning is rarely something we stumble upon; it is something we curate through deliberate choices. Intentionality serves as the “heartbeat” of action, moving us beyond the “autopilot” of daily routine and into a state of “showing up” for our own lives. This internal guidance system does not necessarily demand a map of the entire future. Instead, like a physical compass, it provides feedback on which way we are pointing in the now.
When we act with intent, we align our “WHATs” (the tasks we perform) with our “WHYs” (our core purpose). This alignment creates a “quiet force” of integrity that doesn’t need to be advertised—it is felt through consistency. In this way, intent transmutes a series of random events into a coherent narrative, allowing us to find significance not just in major achievements, but in the “quiet transactions” and “unspoken fairness” of everyday life.
The Spark of Wonder
If meaning is the direction of the compass, wonder is the “aliveness” we feel when we follow it. Intentionality opens the door to wonder by shifting our focus from outcomes to the quality of the journey itself. By choosing to “be a watcher” of our thoughts and desires, we cultivate an awareness that allows even the simplest moments—like a blade of grass or a shared smile—to reveal layers of beauty and mystery.
Scientific research into the “phenomenal intentionality theory” suggests that our very consciousness is grounded in this “aboutness”—the way our minds reach out toward the world. When we intentionally direct this consciousness toward discovery and “openness to experience,” we foster a mindset of “unending seeking” that keeps life vibrant. In a world that often rewards certainty, intent gives us the “permission” to embrace the unknown, transforming uncertainty into a space for awe and potential.
Navigating Through the Storms
The true test of this invisible compass occurs during “life’s storms”—moments of challenge, disappointment, or grief. During these times, a clear intention serves as a “touchstone” for guidance and clarity. It reminds us not only to return to our path when we stray but why we wanted to be on that path in the first place.
Living intentionally does not eliminate hardship, but it provides the “resolve, grace, and strength” to face it. By resetting our inner compass during setbacks, we turn failures into “catalysts” for growth and self-discovery.
The Thread of Quiet Wonder
Intent is the thread that ties our inner dreams to our outward actions. It is an invisible force that requires ongoing “self-reflection and critical engagement” to remain calibrated. By choosing to live less out of habit and more out of intent, we reclaim our personal agency and transform the world from a collection of objects into a “living organism full of mystery”. In doing so, we find that the journey doesn’t just lead us to a destination—it shapes us for it, infusing every step with the quiet wonder of being truly alive.
A Song of A Compass of Wonder and Hope & the Pursuit of a True North
The stars are veiled in a heavy grey
And the maps we drew have all blown away
I stood at the crossroads, unsure of the line
Searching for symbols or some holy sign
But the path isn’t carved in the stone or the sand
It’s a rhythm that beats in the palm of your hand
Let your heart be a compass of wonder and hope
When the mountain is steep and you’re at the end of your rope
It won’t show you the miles or the turns in the track
But it keeps you from ever looking back
For wonder is the needle, and hope is the light
That guides every wanderer home through the nightThere’s a silence that speaks in the rush of the wind
Where the old stories end and the new ones begin
Don’t fear the unknown or the mist on the sea
For the mystery is where you were meant to be free
Every doubt is a question, every scar is a key
To the person you’re finally starting to beIt’s not in the reaching, it’s not in the prize
It’s the fire in your spirit and the spark in your eyes
When the world feels divided and the shadows grow long
Hope is the heartbeat that carries the song
Let your heart be a compass of wonder and hope
When the mountain is steep and you’re at the end of your rope
It won’t show you the miles or the turns in the track
But it keeps you from ever looking back
For wonder is the needle, and hope is the light
That guides every wanderer home through the nightStep by step, breath by breath
With a compass of wonder...
And a heart full of hope.
The way will find you.
I have found a discovered freedom in the term- multipotentialite. This is my identity as an artist, the I am who I am. Setting my do-over life goals, direction, and courses of action stand as a testament that one is, in fact, incredibly, unbelievably, enough at any one given moment. Believe in yourself. This life adventure is writing a new ending!
In paraphrasing C.S. Lewis from A Grief Observed, he says you can only move on when you accept there is no going back. And that is where I have come to. The point of no return is my point of arrival. And, I see now I carry Do-over Intent with me.
Questions:
Where will this new direction take me ?
Will Do-overs bring me closer to the real me ?
Permission slip to dream and to Dream Big
My journey reminds me that creativity has no expiration date. My legacy may not be defined by gallery artwork of my twenties, worldwide teddy bear sales of my thirties, career and motherhood in my forties, returning to college to earn two degrees in my fifties, and in my sixties- becoming the woman who has found her own ground living authentically within the rich landscape of her Enoughness. Right here, Right now I am enough in setting my Intent. I am coming home.
THE GIFT OF MUSIC
Change Me.
The music and the magic is better with age.
Letter To Self.
Dear Self Duchess-of-Muchness:
This is your place in time. If you are not in Wonderland, you are not your Self. Make stillness your friend. This moment is your lover. The Before and After stories are worth re-telling, and like an artist with her canvas - re-framing what needs reframing.
XOXO,
Me.
Hey, Train Wreck,
This ain’t your stop.
So, Go on. Git!
Here’s to The Wonder Habit™ with D. Michele Perry for inspiring me to find wonder in my present day and in my Do-overs. Wonder Prompt & Ponder is an excellent Intent.
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