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]
I spent this week in San Francisco gathering stories for the upcoming Different Work eBook series that Bas and I are creating. We’re gathering stories of groups and people who are doing work that they deeply love (most days), who are working beyond what they as individuals thought work should be, and who are changing what work looks and feels like for themselves, their families, … [Read More]
Daniel and I spent this past week in Texas visiting Daniel’s parents. The trip was a delight. They’ve retired to a quiet farm and have, I’m certain, the world’s goofiest dog. Here’s Mac with the toy alligator Daniel and I bought him… The weather was sunny and warm almost the entire time. We ate. A lot. Ribs. Cowboy Beans. Chicken Fried Steak. Potato salad. Meatloaf. … [Read More]
I’m joining the SOPA and PIPA internet strike today. Sadly, the Collective Self site has a new and too-complicated-for-me theme, and after hours of failing, its time to admit that I’m not technologically savvy enough to get the official “on strike” banner across the top of this site. Grrr! Anyway, I can do this much. Please consider going to one or more of these sites and learning … [Read More]
Jan 092012
I’ve been giving these questions my attention for 6 months now: What is community? How do we create community? How do I know community when I see it? Especially when I’m with people who think, look, and act nothing like me/my groups? I didn’t go looking for these questions. They found me somehow. Still not entirely certain why I’m so determined to have these conversations … [Read More]
Dec 302011
I happened across another blogger yesterday who was publishing his top 5 blog posts from 2011. That seemed like an opportunity to reflect and learn, so I decided to do the same. As I did the research, I found five different top 5s that matter to me. So here they are. What a gift this year has been! Lori’s Top 5 These are my favorite. … [Read More]
Some days I imagine that I, as an individual, have courage. Other days, like today, I realize that I am utterly surrounded by courageous people, but what I myself have isn’t courage. What I have is a deep sense of wonder and an unshakable gratitude for the courageous people around me. A quick Google search reveals courage as: The ability to do something that frightens … [Read More]
Nov 292011
A remarkable new community member, Anthony Lawlor, got me thinking about transitions this morning. In August I blogged about the experience of consciously moving from four different perspectives: individual, self-organizing group, community, and planet perspectives. He’s curious about what the transitions between these places look like. I am too, which may be why, although we’ve only just met, I’m already pretty sure that he’s a … [Read More]
Nov 162011
Most of the groups I study are physically local to me— in my city, my neighborhood, my region, and my home. We’re huge fans of all things local here in Seattle. Fortunately, in the land of human connection and ideas, there’s another kind of local: emotionally local. This is a conversation I’ve been having with one of my emotionally local self-organizing groups this week. Six months ago, … [Read More]
stay connected