PHOTOS: May Erlewine, Ty Schmidt & Others Tell Life Stories at Fulfillament Event

Last night’s “Fulfillament” event, organized by Chelsea Bay Dennis (whose in-laws live just down around the corner from me on the Old Mission Peninsula) and Shea Petaja, came at a good time for me.

I’ve been struggling with how to invest time into my passion (Old Mission Peninsula and the Old Mission Gazette), while also maintaining Reel Life With Jane to keep the bills paid. There just is never enough time to do both, but I’m encouraged and bolstered by the message of the five speakers at last night’s event, which was all about creating meaningful work.

Also, each speaker issued a challenge for us to do something to find fulfillment in our own lives.

Ty Schmidt, physical therapist and co-founder of Carter’s Compost and Norte!, talked about how he and his wife Johanna share a job at Munson Healthcare, and how it fits with their family because when one of them is working, the other is home with the kids and pursuing other passions. One of those passions is Carter’s Compost, a company that turns neighborhood table scraps into compost via a kid-powered bicycle and wagon, hauling buckets of table scraps.

Ty said they they would have been thrilled to have ten buckets in play, but now they have 600 – 600, people! That’s a lot of buckets, but it’s all worth it because the compost is recycled back through community gardens. Now other neighborhoods are creating similar compost systems. It’s a beautiful thing.

Ty and Johanna also created Norte!, a bike-centric, youth-focused nonprofit that helps kids learn about bicycles and ensures that kids ride their bikes safely to and from school.

TY’S CHALLENGE: Live more simply so you can invest time in your passion and connect with your community (yep, that’s my goal for the Old Mission Gazette). 

Holly Wren Spaulding talked about her work as a writer and co-director of STORYhouse Partners; founder of Poetry Forge, an incubator for writers and their work; and mentor through her LIFE/form work. As a writer making a living on the web – where more and more stories are hammered out with little thought or time – I so appreciate her work. Read more about Holly at her website.

HOLLY’S CHALLENGE: Consider renouncing something that means a little less in order to pursue something that means a little more. 

May Erlewine is perhaps best known in this area for her music and Earthwork Music Collective, which she runs with her partner Seth Bernard. From their website, the collective “believes in the intrinsic and historical power of music to raise both community and self-awareness and serves to facilitate and encourage original music in the state of Michigan and beyond.”

But the part of May’s story that we haven’t heard is that she left home by the age of 16 to travel across the country. At one point, she was brutally beaten, resulting in nerve damage and memory loss, but that experience, she said, doesn’t define who she is. Anyone who’s been touched by May’s lovely music and peaceful voice knows the power of resilience and finding your place in the world. Be sure and check out Seth and May’s website and concert schedule.

MAY’S CHALLENGE: Set aside time to listen to your heart. 

Jonathan Pool told a riveting story about his path from the corporate world to independent leadership strategist. As one of only a handful of Paterson LifePlan facilitators in the world who’s certified at the Master level, Jonathan now helps people find clarity through perspective, answer the significant questions, and step into a life of purposeful direction.

But it took a while to get there. At one point, he invited all his friends over and had them post notes on the wall as to what THEY felt he should be doing. The notes revealed a pattern, said Jonathan, that his purpose was to “Guide Others. See Possibilities.” To drive home the point, he took his shirt off to reveal a T-shirt with those exact words, and then tossed a couple of T-shirts into the crowd.

JONATHAN’S CHALLENGE: Know your purpose. Own your story.  

Margaret Alexander spoke first and I was late getting there, so missed her talk (I just couldn’t duck out of Sally’s yoga class without doing the end meditation!). But I know that whenever I see Margaret at the Grand Traverse Pie Co., you can feel peace and light emanating from her, and it’s clear that she loves people. Plus, what could be better than spreading love and warmth through pie?

MARGARET’S CHALLENGE: Think about your inspirations and strive to do something good. 

So, dear readers, I’ll pass the challenge on to you. If you dread going to work every day, don’t like your job or otherwise feel like you’re in a rut, what can you do to change things? How can you move towards a life of meaningful work? Feel free to sound off in the comments below. Let’s help each other.