Author: Vian Wheatley

The Hop and Skip Will Come Later

Someone asked me if I write poetry and made me think of the countless hours spent writing on my notebooks a long time ago. Another life and another person – an insecure budding writer that was so afraid, so unsure of her talent, and always thinking she could never measure up to her peers.

So, I want to share what I have written late last year for someone (not my immediate family) who is very dear to us. I hope one day I can tell her this in person and give her the love she so richly deserves.

The Hop and Skip Will Come Later – Vian Wheatley (Oct 2021)

I see your face with that charming smile of yours,

Yet there is a veiled shimmer in your eyes

Such a beautiful face does not deserve a tortured soul.

What lies underneath?

No one will ask – It is just another one of the many they scroll through each day.

The hurt lies underneath that You cloaked in your layers of filter.

You leave breadcrumbs here and there if they care to notice.

a hushed plea for someone to remove the burdens you carry.

I feel your pain and my eyes grow heavy

I want to stand in the gap for you and shed those burning tears that never fell

Because there can be a tomorrow that you richly deserve

– A smile. A gentle kiss.  A tight hug.

You are worth these and much more

no matter if you think differently.

Hope does spring eternal – you just need to hang on to that tiny sliver you have in your hand

Your story will change if you dare to believe

You need to just take that smallest step of courage.

I promise – The hop and the skip will come later.

Sunrise Surprise

Today looks so bright people! Were you able to see today’s sunrise? If not, here’s what mine looked like. Look at how the sun is peeking through the pink hues.. How beautiful!

If you woke up feeling discouraged or down, then I want to infect you with this unbridled enthusiasm I am feeling today. This year just feels different for me in a positive light despite what I read or see in the news. So today is a short post – just an encouragement to enjoy your day, try not to worry and feel the sun in your face. If not, remember that our joy always comes in the morning.

Stepping Out Series – New Year, New Visions.

The new year is here – wet and gray in this part of the world. A foreboding start or a cleansing of the past two years that the world has given us? You chose.

As for me, I am ready to start the new year with hopeful expectations. I eagerly started on my vision board this morning – remember I said yesterday how I thrilled I was? It is done! I just need my husband to help me put it up.

For 25 years, I have always jotted them down in my personal journal for my own privacy. It was a secret place for my prayer requests, dreams, goals, and aspirations so when they do not happen or if I failed, no one’s the wiser.

However, this year is vastly different for me. I cannot describe it, but I just know in my heart and my gut that 2022 is going to be a remarkable year for us and for everyone else. And prospectively, I am ready to vision cast and write them where I can see them daily.

Working on this vision board is quite cathartic – made me very intentional about how I want to move forward or where I want to spend my time and energy. I am now sharing all my vision, my goals, and dreams for my family to see (but not on this post yet). There are bold dreams on here that I wonder if they tell me they are very lofty, or will it inspire them to dream bigger as well?

What I can share is that for 2022, I am declaring it to be our Year of Harvest and that my Focus Word is Shine. My mantra remains the same – nothing is impossible to those who believe. These are powerful words that have guided me through the years.

So armed with my vision board, I am filled with great anticipation of what this year will bring us. I am hoping that you share my enthusiasm for the new year. Want to join me? Send me a message. Let us continue building our dreams.

Don’t Stop Me Now

2021 is ending with COVID still hanging around us. Yes, it permeates everything around us – every move we make, decisions we make, plans we create. It is our major buzz killer. It may be hard for someone reading this as I am unaware of your loss, so I am not writing this lightly. However, I do want to end this year on a positive note for I am grateful for everything that this year has given me.

I think 2021 was my roller coaster ride which I hate because I think I will die if I ever ride one. So, let us review how my year went. 2021 started with an uphill climb to a promotion, then speedy turns on vacations with family and friends (love, love it so I added some pics I took). A high for me because I love traveling – anywhere, anytime.

Chugging along there was a harrowing twist of pelvic pain that eventually ended with a surgery (and an infection that resulted in another surgery). I was decommissioned for six weeks – longest I have even been out. And before I could breathe, I was on another long uphill climb towards a new business and a new job that came out of nowhere. I was on a free-fall that has given me all the butterflies in my belly.

My free fall drastically ended with COVID the week prior to Christmas week – my symptoms were not as serious because I was vaccinated. My biggest Christmas gift was finally testing negative for COVID on Christmas day. To date – I still have the most awful headache (not migraine) and my taste and smell are not back yet.

So, you see, I want to end this year on a high positive note as COVID will not dampen my spirits. God has been very faithful and has blessed me beyond everything I could ever imagine.

Do not stop me now (sing like Freddy!). I have a lot of things to look forward to in 2022. Yes – I am extremely excited for this new year so much so that I ordered this vision board from Amazon. Don’t you just love it?

It is time for me to visualize my dreams and make a proclamation. I will not hide my shine any longer. It is time to come out and dazzle! How about you? What are you proclaiming for in 2022? Are you ready for this year to be your best year yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Let us stand tall and take that first step towards achieving our dreams.

Happy New Year’s Eve my friends – til my next post!

Stepping Out Series: I Dreamed a Dream

My last entry was in Jan 2018 – when we were still living in Louisville, KY. More than three years have passed with so many remarkable things that have happened in our lives. It has been quite a journey.

First, we moved to Bellbrook, OH because of a job opportunity – something I have never thought of while I was writing my last post. Little did I know that it was going to be the boldest and biggest stepping out we would do as a family.

We took a leap of faith and transplanted ourselves in a new community, new jobs, new schools, and new life with just us. We embraced the changes and allowed ourselves to dream more – after all, a whole new world just opened for us.

We were ready and then the world stopped altogether in 2020. I was following the news late in 2019 and knew this new virus was going to hit hard. Pandemic was an unfamiliar word that was hard to comprehend. A different world emerged.

We sheltered in place – worked from home and studied from home. The isolation hit hard but it came with it big rewards. It gave us time to the develop new hobbies: me with organic gardening and my husband’s passion with grilling and smoking meats (it is a hobby 😊). Also, we had friends that became more like siblings from another mother.

The pandemic also gave everyone a chance to reflect on how we live our lives. For me – I called it the Great Awakening. It was time for a career change, but I did not know where to begin. I was afraid to look forward because times are uncertain, and I had a very stable job. Why rock the boat? But there was this burning hope to dream and that something must change – I dared to believe it.

And it did happen – we became small business owners in June of this year. Woohoo!!!! Our biggest news ever. We stepped out and made our dream a reality. We believe nothing is impossible, so we named our company Wheatley Empire, Inc. We know it is not going to stop at just one company – our vision is large for our future. We are in our forties and starting a new business even during COVID because it is never too late for anyone. I cannot wait for 2022 when we open our first clinic – Fyzical Centerville. And yes, you will hear about it from me.

We also switched to new jobs which was bittersweet. Sadly, good things had to end to welcome new opportunities and growth. We welcome these changes in our lives once again. They are our springboard for more opportunities to come for us. I believe and claim it!

From my last post to this – I can say I dreamed a dream. It is happening for us. It can happen to you too. The new year is coming so shake off the dust. Lift your head up and write down your dream and visions. Believe in them. If you are reading this, you are not alone. Send me a comment and we can be in a journey together.