About Me — Trista Signe Ainsworth

An eternal optimist, a professional organizer and giver of joy

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step

- Lao Tzu

One of my favorite things to do is travel. I have had the honor of traveling to quite a few places in the world so far. This year of 2020 is one of a different kind of journey. Instead of traveling the world, I am taking a trip inward to discover more of myself, and in turn, teach others the joys of learning about life. Each and every day, I take a step towards that inner world by writing an article or a poem. I feel that this year, I have traveled more by staying at home than I ever have by going elsewhere. I am here to spread joy, to encourage and to create happiness, one piece of writing at a time.

I grew up in the small countryside community of Redland, Oregon. We were surrounded by a forest, a beautiful front vegetable garden, and an orchard. I spent all of my extra time outside, anytime I could. There I created other worlds with my imagination. I am grateful for those times to spend creating. I believe that in these years my love for writing grew.

In college I studied Graphic Design, Spanish, and later Linguistics. From there was an English as a Second Language teacher at a local community college for ten years. There I learned to love teaching. The students were my best teachers. They taught me to find new and fun ways of conveying information, how to help students to work in groups and much more.

After that, I struck out on my own to create some baking businesses. I loved to make scones, cinnamon rolls, pies, cakes, biscotti, cookies, and more for local farmer’s market customers. For a little more than four years, I worked alongside my mom and sister-in-law. There I learned my love for people. Their smiles, encouragement, and joy for life spurred me on.

Two years ago, I was ready for a change. I decided to become a certified professional organizer. I enrolled in some courses, and I practiced working with clients in their homes. It has been a beautiful journey so far. I have learned that I can help teach people to let go so that they can find the joy that is in their hearts and not in their possessions.

This brings me to my greatest joys: my husband Paul and my son Adam. Paul and I have been married for over 17 years. We met in the early days of Match.com, and it has been such a joyful union ever since. Paul is a software engineer and is amazing at coding. I love that we work in opposite fields, but we share a love of being on time and getting projects done.In 2008, our son Adam joined us. He brings laughter, creativity, and happiness to our home. I just love how he hides behind doors to jump out at me, writes original comics in pencil, comes up with new video game ideas, and makes us all laugh and smile every day. This year I have learned how amazing my family is by spending lots of time together.

We have had the good fortune of traveling to many places together. We have been to Singapore, Malaysia, Vancouver, Canada, an Alaska cruise, Mexico, Las Vegas, Disneyland in California, Disneyworld in Florida, and Japan. We enjoy chatting about what trips we liked best and the memories from those times. We feel lucky to have traveled so much thus far. Our hope is that in the next year or so, travel will be safe again and we will enjoy some more adventures.

One of my other loves is friendship. I feel so very fortunate to have some loving friends in my life. I know this year we have strengthened through checking in on each other this year. One of my favorite things to do is to go out to a fancy afternoon tea. My dear friend Carol and I have probably been to just about every tea room in Oregon. We love tea! I hope we can get back to that tradition as I miss it dearly.

I have 2020 to thank for allowing me to become a writer. In 2019 I started writing a few articles on Medium. Then, this year I was invited to join the publication Illumination. That made all of the difference in the world. The best part about writing this year has been the connections and friendships formed by reading and responding to the work of other writers.

I enjoy writing about personal growth, life lessons, spiritual growth, abundance, and more. I thrive by bringing joy into the world through my words. I love to tell personal, daily stories that relate to creating a better life. I occasionally write poetry. Currently, I write for Illumination on a nearly daily basis and on occasion for Paper Poetry and Genius in a Bottle. My goal for Medium is to create and spread joy through the written word and to complete my first book from a collection of my articles.

Thank you so much for reading my story and for stopping by. I truly appreciate you. You are here to create amazing things in this world. Take one step towards your dreams every day. You will see the results when you continue to show up. I send you love, light, and joy!

You can connect with me through:

Website: www.expansive.me

YouTube Channel: Joyful Decluttering

Twitter: https://twitter.com/signe_trista

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trista-ainsworth-36093a13/

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