Human to Human

You know how some learnings just keep coming back over and over again. The deep life lessons that don’t let you go. The persistent intuitions that won’t stop tugging at your shirt sleeve.

I’m having that kind of learning over the last few weeks (really months, and years). It’s about being fierce.

Now, given the photo above, it’s a particular kind of fierce that is tugging at me. The picture is a pond near where Dana and I live. Compelling clouds last night nearing sunset. Reflection off of still water. Delicious light.

The fierce for me is learning to celebrate such deliciousness.
Which is to say, learning to be committed and revering to such beauty.
Which is to say insisting thoughtful consciousness be part of the every day.
Which is to say, loving kindness in the every day.
Which is to say leading with joy and from the heart.

Fierce for very good things.

Over and over again.

The Japanese Teacher, Do Hyun Choe writes:

Stillness is what creates love,
Movement is what creates life,
To be still,
Yet still moving —
That is everything!

Nice.

I got it from a Richard Rohr book, From Wild Man to Wise Man. Rohr encourages awareness in spirituality, particularly for men in this book.

Again, nice.

The photo is from a bike ride Sunday. Dana and I were crossing a bridge on our way back from a morning coffee. I saw the solo chair on this dock, still. I stopped my bike, my movement. Felt so drawn in.

I know I must have these kinds of places of stillness. As practice. They lift something in me. They settle something. In how I work with groups too.

It has also been important to me to feel movement. Yes, bike ride is a great pace for me. I also love the movement of ideas. Of words on paper. Of design for groups. Of colleagues and friends sorting the natural next.

For reflection.

This week I’ve been working with a colleague, prepping for a 3-day gathering that we will co-host in September. The first movements, the first connections of that group, will likely have large impact. There will be 100 people in the room.

As a facilitator I’ve learned that one of the first jobs is to create connection. That, so that presence is more palpable. I’ve also learned that it really helps to make that initial connection easy. I so often start with partner conversations. Little short ones with random partners, typically 2-3 minutes for each question. I do 4-5 of these so that in the first 15 minutes people already have 4-5 people they’ve made connection with.

For this upcoming gathering, I’ll likely ask the question — “What excites you about being part of this gathering?” It’s meant to activate an appreciative and anticipatory energy, which I know serves the group well. It’s easy. There’s no wrong answers. People often want to verbalize on this.

I’ll likely then ask a related question but of a much different flavor — “Is there a sorrow that you bring into this gathering?” This is a group that guides many people through grief and change. This question is meant to activate an authentic energy, which I know also serves the group well. This question insists a bit more thoughtfulness that people also want to verbalize.

And thus, we integrate. And create presence. In the small steps that begin. And in the narrative that will carry over the three days. I rarely think of integration as the thing we do for others. I often think of integration as the depth of field that we encourage together. When we have that, wow, learning and joy naturally follows.

Fun to think about it coming.