Selectively Juggling

I used to dream about owning a really cool op shop – that’s a thrift store for those not familiar to the term ‘op-shop’. I guess it relates to the fact that the goods have a second opportunity to be bought, or hold value. Additionally, people who may not genuinely be able to afford the item in its original brand-new state, have the opportunity to purchase it used. Anyway, I digress.

I’ve moved on from thinking in terms of selling “stuff” that some people horde, which eventually ends up in land-fill. I’d sooner have a shop of ‘ideas’, providing a space for people to come and access counselling, problem-solving, working through life’s issues and dilemmas. I’d create a space where people can come and work on their stuff, unpack historical trauma and baggage. I’d offer tools, increased self-efficacy, and a chance for them to re-imagine, plan and set believable and achievable goals. Instead of creating a business space where people come and load up on more material goods, often in a form of self-medicating, I’d offer the opposite. I’d offer a space to let go, recalibrate, adjust and try on new perspectives and lenses, a space to look deep into their dreams, wildest ideas and expectations. We’d sit, work hard together and come up with ways for people to be the best versions of themselves. It’ll be like a gym for their mind – mental gymnastics of challenging and extending themselves. It’ll be like a garden centre without plants, instead we’d be working on building the foundations to which seeds of hope, resilience, self-belief could safely be planted. We’d work on self-gardening skills, where people understood what it took to watch the seeds come to fruition- more importantly, how they could successfully achieve this. Equally important would be the skills and self-worth needed to adapt, and accept that not all seeds bloom where planted. I’d sell hope, self-belief, resilience and tenacity. It’ll be like a LEGO store – where we deconstruct the pieces (the person) in order to create a more authentic version, a one of a kind version. The same, yet different. Different yet the same.

Yes, I’m a dreamer. Yes, I am pragmatic. However, it is my pragmatism and dreamer-like innocence and qualities, that when combined, create my own superpower. Most importantly the service would be subsidised by the Australian government- where people on a particular health care plan could access it for a much reduced rate, whilst those who had financial means could pay privately. The same level of care given to both, regardless of the source of income.