Month: February 2023

Nicole Frederickson is one of my favorite writers / bloggers. I know her from the Fire & Water Rite of Passage Journey and a few other points of connection. I love Nicole’s writing for her insight shared in simple ways that grows from her life living with family, farm, travel, etc. I also appreciate Nicole’s writing because it seems to grow from an overarching commitment to living a life of wonder and curiosity — it all helps me to do similarly.

As I read Nicole’s recent post, it occurred to me that if holistic living / humaning is the intent, then “sometimes” is an important doorway to such desire and commitment. “Sometimes” creates entry, and sometimes exit, to ways of accepting, and a ways of engaging with what is. Even when our brains want to take over (sometimes) with more locked wishes and impositions.

Here’s two paragraphs from Nicole’s post. The rest is a good read with great photos.

“Sometimes, yes, of course, this is adventure is a big outer journey. Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, once in a lifetime experiences, extraordinary humans, yes those. Those which will pop up on my phone memories or those that will stay in my minds eye, where I’ll be able to conjure them up on a not yet existent cold, snowy day in the future. 

And sometimes, this adventure is pretty quiet, it looks like waiting. A lot of waiting. Waiting eight hours to catch the hours long bus to the next place, where we will wait to take the hours long train to the next place, where we throw our packs on our back and walk, sweaty to the next place, where we wait again.”

So, here’s to such lives for any of us — of noticing and being able to welcome the “sometimes.” It’s some of the wisdom that quite compels me. Thx Nicole.

So glad for this conversation (49 minutes) recorded for podcast purposes. To learn. To cultivate. To animate. To create a world into being. Linnea and I go back to shared practice in The Circle Way. Lots of fun. Lots of purpose. Thanks for listens. Thx for forwards. Linnea is at www.wholerootwonder.com.

A Few Episode Notes & Times

• 0:30 — Reclaiming heart of humanness together, refreshing the H2H Podcast
• 1:22 — Welcome Linnea
• 2:49 — Linneas’ Hello (mission and purpose that go with intentional process)
• 5:26 — What’s surfacing in your work / life?
• 6:48 — “Convercircliness”
• 9:30 — Is there something you can’t not do? (center, underlaying kindness, the compost bin of humans connected)
• 14:00 — Please say more of what you are up to Linnea? (Chair Yoga; Laughing Yoga; Gardening / Permaculture; 3 Communities in The Circle Way)
• 22:45 — Being in the Doing (welcoming holistic being; “multipotentialite”; “if I offer what brings me joy, it goes well?”
• 25:30 — Is there particular “inner Linnea code / DNA, wherever you show up? (Show up as I am. Shine my “me-ness.” Intentions toward kindness and compassion. Invitation to a narrative of kindness and clarity.”
• 32:20 — Connection to breath, to create autonomy, belonging, and connection to something outside of self. There are “mini” ways to practice — simple, impactful, and profound ways to hold us in the moment. “Pruning the suckers.”
• 42:30 — Don’t need to rush. Won’t cover everything. Will leave out some good stuff.
• 43:30 — Anything else to share today Linnea? (Colleagues…, we are each others teachers. Life is teaching us.)
• 46:30 — Post reflections from Tenneson.

“Collaboration” is an oft-used word in the field of facilitation that I and others practice. Collaboration is a value. It’s a noun. It’s an important practice.

I’ve been learning lately with a friend some added nuance to “collaboration.”

For example, when it comes to collaboration, “conflict comes along with it. It just is.” I would further suggest that this is what complexity brings us — don’t blame each other for complexity; rather, lean in to unknowns together as well as we can. I suppose the most central learning in that is to not fear conflict. Nor to shame it. Be with what is. Grow some skills for listening. For dwelling.

I can’t help but be a person that needs to nuance. My preferred learning is to dig into what I know. To be a keen observer to what I know as personal experience and personal group experience.

So, here goes — today’s added nuancing on collaboration.

In addition to conflict coming with it, “aspiration” is also an important part. The best of collaboration that I know requires an animation of purpose together. Sometimes I distinguish “aspirational” and “operational.” Both matter immensely. If we (many layers of we) are to improve our collaborative capacity, there must be attention to what animates in the heart, both individually and collectively. There must be space for longing to live among us, again, individually and collectively.

In addition to conflict and aspiration coming along with collaboration, we can also expect “practice.” That means doing things both big and small — I have a particular interest in the small, or the “first next steps.” I also have particular interest in what “improves.” Collaboration isn’t a formulaic thing applicable in all circumstances. Formula can guide. But being, living practice, feeling, intuiting — these all are helpful steps. Again, individually and collectively.

I’m so glad for being in association with people who are good at what they do. Who are smart. Who are curious. In this case, about such a fundamental aspect to our field of hosting intelligence, wisdom, kindness, consciousness, flow, and so much more that is enhanced by people collaborating on things that they care about together.

Well, for the last two weeks I’ve been getting mixed reports of what subscribers are receiving from this blog via “notifications.” Some are getting it all, as before, notifications through email. Some are suddenly getting nothing, a giant mystery to me. Some are getting test messages (while a friend and a tech person at GoDaddy try to resolve issues — a changed security setting with GoDaddy seems to be behind it all). Thx for patience and grace as all of this is experimented and sorted.

My writing here is one of the key mediums through which I metabolize experience and through which I share that learning and wonder applied to self, to groups, and to circumstance.

Yah, but, Gremlins.

In the spirit of “in case you missed it” (ICYMI) here’s a list of recent posts:

2/14/23 — Ashes, Descent, Rich Life
2/13/23 — North
2/9/23 — Late Fragment (Thx Raymond Carver)
2/8/23 — Living Beautifully
2/7/23 — Delight in Wander
2/6/23 — Mindful in Conflict
2/2/23 — Men’s Group
2/1/23 — Fire
1/31/23 — A Morning Offering (Thanks John O’Donohue)
1/30/23 — Big Changes, Big Skies

If you wish to peruse, go to the Human to Human page. You can scroll down. Or use the Search Window to explore, wonder, and wander from there.

With continued appreciation for this connecting, learning, experimenting, and sharing.

Oh, and appreciation for response emails or comments (“Got it.” Or, “Haven’t been getting but now it is resolved.” Or, “Yup, got all those crazy test messages too.”)

A bow.