The Tapestry of Your Life

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I was just in Madison, Wisconsin to attend a college graduation ceremony as my daughter graduated from the University of Wisconsin.

During the graduation ceremony, one of the graduation speakers told the audience that the campus in Madison, Wisconsin, on which the university sits was originally land that was part of Native American Ho -Chunk Nation.  The Ho-Chunk people are called “the people of the scared voice.”

This speaker went on to talk about how the Native American Ho-Chunk women would start with a single bead on a thread and keep adding additional beads of different colors to that thread.  This process would be repeated on a large number of threads.  The threads with all the beads were then weaved together until they created a beautiful work of art.

This is picture of the type of bead work produced by a Native American woman from the Ho-Chunk Nation.

Screen Capture – Original Ho-Chunk Beaded Bandolier – Image copyright © by Hindman Auctions.

All rights reserved. – Educational Fair Use

The speaker’s description of the Ho-Chunk bead work made me think about something.

You create the fabric of your own life by adding personal experiences, your own beads, to threads in your own life. 

You also add beads to other threads that include experiences you have with other people in your life. 

The combination of the two types of threads with the two different types of beads creates a beautiful work of art that becomes, a unique, one of kind, tapestry of your own life.

Metaphorically this bead work refers to the essential elements that make up and shape your own personal experiences and existence.

The bead work visually illustrates how interconnected we all are as you have relationships, experiences, values, and memories, that weave together to form the complex and rich tapestry of your own individual life.

How do you create a new, unique tapestry in your own life?

1. Continuously create your own unique beads.  Every day, create your own new unique energetic “beads.”  Creating your own unique energetic beads includes creating your own unique, diverse experiences as energetic beads in a way that brings you fulfillment, meaning, confidence, happiness and joy in your own life.  A life that reflects who you are and what you aspire to be.  Each time you create an energetic bead, ask yourself, “what color is this bead?  why does this bead have this color?”
2. Add your own unique beads to threads.  Adding your own unique energetic “beads” of your experiences to threads in the tapestry of your life involves recognizing, valuing, and integrating your daily experiences into your own personal narrative.  By consciously recognizing, valuing, and integrating your unique “bead” experiences, you add meaningful “beads” to “threads” in the tapestry of your life, creating rich, dynamic, and fulfilling multiple “threads” of your own unique “bead” experiences.  Each time you create a new thread, ask yourself, “what beads am I adding to this thread? and why am I adding these beads to this thread?”
3. Weave your threads of beads together into a new, unique life tapestry.  Weave your “threads” of “beads” together displaying the connections and inter-connections between the different, diverse experiences you had and how they influenced each other. Weave the “threads” of “beads” together to show how your experiences have led to your current beliefs, values, boundaries and perspectives.  Weave your “threads” of “beads” together to create a cohesive, meaningful and colorful, tapestry with a rich and fulfilling narrative of your own life.  Share your colorful life tapestry to connect with and inspire others.  As you weave your threads of beads into your new, unique life tapestry, ask yourself, “why am I adding this thread of beads to my life tapestry in this place?  How will this inspire me and others?”

Creating a new, beautiful unique tapestry allows you to create a positive impact in your own life and inspire others.

Out There on the Edge of Everything®…

Stephen Lesavich, PhD

Copyright © 2024, by Stephen Lesavich, PhD.  All rights reserved.

Certified solution-focused life coach and experienced business coach.