Community is such an old human word—800-ish years old in Latin (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community) and likely far older than that in other languages and cultures I’d guess. A unified body of individuals, says Merriam Webster. Love that. Community is a word that has lived through time relatively unscathed. As near as I can tell, community was generally considered a good thing way back when, and it’s generally … [Read More]
As of this May, I’ve spent 9 years working, living, and learning as self-organizing groups and community. What I noticed most this week is the astonishing courage demonstrated by individuals who have spent prolonged time within these human collectives: courage astonishing to themselves as well as others. Here are some examples. Because I know these people very well—they are my own community and self-organizing group … [Read More]
Our dear old dog Grady got lost for 2½ hours last Monday night, during rush hour in our urban Seattle neighborhood, wearing his new sock-monkey collar (while the one with his name and phone number sat uselessly on our counter). Daniel and I were in a complete panic, meltdown mess. Our home looked like an episode of Finding America’s Lost Children: there were fliers and … [Read More]
Monday evening I decided to go on an unannounced neighborhood Walkabout. I actually planned just to go from the backyard to the front yard, but a squirrel caught my eye and before you know it I was at our corner store. At this point, I was kind of freaked out, I’m never away from my family, so when this very nice-smelling nice guy (Nathan) walked … [Read More]
Our world is amazing. Have you noticed that today? Noticed how amazing your world is despite the looming global environmental crisis and the 24×7 corporate-and-political-muck-and-mud-slinging circus and the foul-tempered stranger you met on the street? Silly question. Of course you noticed or you wouldn’t be here. Better question. Have you noticed today that you get to define the center, middle, and the edges of your own community … [Read More]
This winter, I made a significant professional title leap from Self-Organizing Groups Researcher to Community Story Wrangler. Me and Amy This recognizing-and-claiming-who-you-really-are business is fun. And scary. Not that it’s a one-time deal. I seem to do it again and again. Now that I’m in my 40s, though, it’s beginning to feel more fun, because I’m getting closer to who I really am. Some moments … [Read More]
Back in August, I wrote about experiencing my self as different states: individual, self-organizing group, community, and planet and the beginnings of what it feels like to move between those states. It was my favorite 2011 post because it was a mysterious ball of emerging ideas and also the scariest thing I’d said out loud all year. I feared people would think I was nuts. Feared … [Read More]
We opened our home in Seattle’s Central District neighborhood this week as a free coworking space, Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to start. If you’ve done something like this, or are planning to, I’d love to hear your “how to” because we’re learning to do this and need all the help we can get. Steps so far. The numbers indicate the order I did … [Read More]
This past week was a tough one for me. My grandmother passed away, and there’s been an unshakable ache in my chest all week as I learn to move with the loss. I haven’t felt like doing much of anything, so I haven’t. Then, along comes my friend Bob Petruska, a consultant who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He asked one of his own self-organizing groups … [Read More]
My Grandma Kane, LaVina Kane to her friends, passed away this week, just one month before she turned 100. She lived on her farm into her 80s, in her own apartment until she was in her early 90s, and in the past 7 years she earned the nickname Speedy at her nursing home, because the staff had to constantly tell her “Slow down!” When she … [Read More]
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