Author: Tenneson Woolf

I loved so much about the call that I participated in yesterday. With NewStories. With Bob Stilger. With Z. And Ally. And the 25 others that gathered.

We were celebrating Bob, who just turned 75. We were witnessing NewStories in a next chapter. We were listening to an invitation to do deep and meaningful community work.

This gathering included check-in on what we celebrate. For me, I named that I’m celebrating old friends. That includes Bob. Our early Berkana days go back 30 years now. I notice I’m enjoying extra these 30 year friendships and colleagueships. We’ve supported a lot together. And followed some mystery. And found a few next steps.

Bob offered an appreciation yesterday, a belief from the Shinto ways of being — “Everything has life. People. Things. Stones. Foods. Everything. We live in a web of life.”

Yah, that one sings to me. Because it is part of what has connected us over these three decades. A love of learning. Of living. Of leadership that comes from such perspective.

Bob, Z, and Ally shared some of their deepest work — connecting values to principles to actions. To create the deeper ecologies for learning and for living with life.

What a treat. Helps me remember important layers. Stories. Possibilities.

I’m oriented to learning. In my core. I have been since the early days. My Grandmothers kind of baked it into me. And a few other important guides I’ve loved and that have loved me.

Whether it is learning about potted herbs, tomatoes, and peppers — like these above that Dana and I planted on the weekend — or about big stories with big sweeping purposes.

So often the purpose for me, the simple purpose, is to learn. It’s what we do. It’s what we are. Learn of self. Learn of others. Learn of going well together. Learn of surrender and flow.

You know. The basics that never end. Learn to be curious. To follow joy. To celebrate. To meet self and others where they are, with invitation to learn. To face hard things. To find meaning. To invite meaning.

So, a little Tuesday mix:

• From Meg Wheatley’s newest book Restoring Sanity, “…leadership has never been more difficult…we need to restore sanity by awakening the human spirit…through generosity, creativity, and kindness”
• From the Poet Mary Oliver, “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
• From my recent conversation with Toke, “…life is wise…what joy to be living ourselves and in company of others with such learning…”
• Back to Meg, “life always moves to higher order; it uses messes to get there…”

There is joy, much joy to me, to orient to learning. It centers me. Just like my Grandmothers. And these pots of herbs, tomatoes, and peppers planted with Dana.

Such a sweet conversation with Toke Moeller recently. Loads of learning. And remembering. And story. And laughter. And pauses. And encouragements

It’s 58 minutes. The Art and The Heart — Practicing Peace. I’ll listen several times. Perhaps you too. Share as inspired. Or just listen and dwell.

Many themes that invite practicing peace, starting with self, “one meter around us.” And, as I love with Toke, many themes that invite presence, heart, clarity, kindness, practice. Together.

As contributions of courage to ourselves and with others that we share work and community.

Yup, a sweet resource.

I’ll stay with Circle. It’s been mostly a writing week. Yummy. Focussed. But also spacious.

Circle is what I turn to in the most comprehensive stories that I know — the stories of human beings trying to be kind and aware together, trying to make a difference in varied causes in which we go well together. Circle is also what I turn to in the most immediate needs that live right in front of me and most of us — sharing dreams and difficulties, exploring conflicts and coherences. Circle is what I turn to. Circle is what turns us to each other. To practice Circle is to practice the connection of those turns at all of the layers. Connection with self. With others. Connection with circumstance. Connection with life flowing. Circle restores us to belonging. It is the most simple of containers, yet so often the most lasting of experiences.

It’s also been a week of early excitements for Breath and Belonging: A Circle Way Intensive (October 23-26, 2024 — Salt Lake City, Utah — Cohost Rangineh Azimzadeh Tehrani). The ideas in that writing are likely to find a place among us.

Interested?

Please join. Or reach out to explore.