Happy One Year Bookday

Dear Collaborations of Consequence, Happy Book Day to YOU! You came into the world one year ago! You were delivered in several very heavy boxes and as a PDF online. The gestation period for a book is hard to determine. It took 16 years or 15 months or some duration in between for you to arrive.  Bringing you into the world was its own birthing … Continue reading Happy One Year Bookday

Halloween Edition: Dementor Job Descriptions

It’s Halloween in my part of the world  and people are talking and tweeting about costumes, pumpkins, and assorted spooky things. Some of the most bone-chillingly scary things I’ve seen this month are job descriptions. I’ve come to think of them as Dementors. Harry Potter fans will get the reference. For the rest of you, Dementors are “dark creatures that consume human happiness, creating an … Continue reading Halloween Edition: Dementor Job Descriptions

Shifting Conditions and Systems Change

It’s a big week for the planet. UN Climate Action Summit is happening, as is the UN SDG Summit. In alignment, 23 states in the US have dubbed September 23-30 “Climate Week”. I went to my local Climate Strike on Friday, grateful for the songs, signs, and sunglasses (because I always cry at collective action events). I watched Greta Thunberg’s moving testimony yesterday. And Maine … Continue reading Shifting Conditions and Systems Change

Emphatic beats dubious. Or how The Blog badgered me into renewal.

I’m changing this blog because I’ve been badgered into it. The Blog won’t leave me alone. It wants to be something else and won’t tell me exactly what that is. This is not how “They” say it is supposed to work. Blogs are supposed to be written by People Who Have A Focus – a niche like in the wall of a fancy bathroom- containing … Continue reading Emphatic beats dubious. Or how The Blog badgered me into renewal.

Changes Afoot

I’m working on a new focus and format for this site.   I’ll be doing a “soft launch” and then announcing on Twitter once I have enough content to share. My earlier blogging experience taught me that I was interpreting the “Publish” button as a “Perfection” button.  Running your work through a perfection filter is a sure way to guarantee doubt, procrastination, analysis paralysis, and meager … Continue reading Changes Afoot

Four Dollars and a Tweet

Last Sunday as I was waiting for the water to boil for my cream of wheat I decided to glance at Twitter. I came across a tweet from New York Times columnist, Nick Kristof about this opinion piece on the refugee crisis in Europe.  He admonished, “If you don’t see yourself or your family members in those images of today’s refugees, you need an empathy … Continue reading Four Dollars and a Tweet

Learning from Vacation…about Work

The first two weeks of August my family went on a camping road trip from our home in Maine to my brother-in-law’s wedding near San Diego.  It was the first two week vacation I’d  taken in at least five years.  It won’t be that long before I do it again. Here are are a few lessons I learned  (or was reminded of ) while on … Continue reading Learning from Vacation…about Work

I’m guilty

I’m guilty. I’m guilty of abandoning my blog. I’m guilty of making a bigger deal out of blogging than is necessary. I’m guilty of distraction by shiny objects and moving stories. I’m guilty of over-thinking and under-acting, of distancing rather than diving in. I’m guilty of information gluttony and not being generous enough with sharing what I love, and learn, and discover. I’m guilty of … Continue reading I’m guilty

What’s your posture?

Have you ever felt total safety revealing your heart to strangers? No? Me either. At least not until I took what felt like a daring leap and joined a coaching circle through U.Lab. The coaching circles are groups of 4-5 people who meet weekly for 75 minutes.  Each week a different person presents a case that is current, concrete and important.  The case giver is … Continue reading What’s your posture?

Four Other Valentine’s Day Gifts

Not everyone goes in for the unaffordable expectation version of Valentine’s Day.  Love is worth celebrating.   You don’t need a romantic partner or Scrooge McDuck’s money bin to spread Valentine’s Day love. 1. Give the gift of  your attention. There’s a freedom that comes from conscious, wholehearted listening.  By deeply listening, we free ourselves from the constant chatter in our minds and allow another … Continue reading Four Other Valentine’s Day Gifts