We're such good partyers. The whole lot of us.
We get invited, most of the time, off the cuff...to a room jammed full of people--that we either know tangentially or have approximately 2 minutes of common ground with--exploding with poor acoustics and loud music such that we're not really hearing what the other person is sharing, nor most of the time do we care--while simultaneously drowning ourselves in wine, beer or the like.
We want to be entertained--passively receiving stimuli that doesn't require intention, purpose or authentic connection.
The truth is that as a culture, we don't really know how to celebrate...to come together in community with anticipation for the gathering; to create space that accommodates real, raw connection that says, in this moment, above all others, I celebrate you and us and what we mean to each other.
Tonight, I got the rare opportunity to do so.
I've been meeting for one year with a hodgepodge of amazing misfits....women that have come together month over month with intention to bear witness, provide a safe space of encouragement, a container of strength and an indomitable communal spirit that says, I believe in you and what you intend for your life and the world.
In many respects, it has been both the most liberating and exhilarating part of my 2015.
Tonight, as we said goodbye in celebration, we were tasked with writing 2-3 minutes of what we know for sure post this whirlwind of a year. And because, I am quite literally an open book with the hope of writing a book and staying viscerally connected to what my heart believes...this is what I wrote.
what i know for sure that deserves celebration...
i am a maker of words
a story teller
a bearer of truth
a woman that makes a difference in the world
raw, real, afraid
unsure, bold
beautiful
a woman who has experienced hurt and sorrow but is not mired in shame
i am a mother of three
brash, bright, wild-eyed beauties
who i yearn everything for
and for whom I have given my everything
strong particularly when weak
rooted in those who have
come before
a bearer of hope and wisdom.
That's it. We toasted each other, cried, hugged and left with the intent that we would all walk out the door sharing each other with the world--different, changed, grateful and hopeful for 2016.
As we embark upon a season of gathering, both voluntary and obligatory, my prayer is that our hearts can find moments of reflection and wonder as we pause to celebrate, intentionally with one other. I have a feeling that the intention could change the entire encounter...which may be a celebration in and of itself.
Showing posts with label Leadership Circle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leadership Circle. Show all posts
Monday, December 7, 2015
Monday, August 17, 2015
Hell Yes to the Holy Yes
We meet once a month and it's sacred.
A small group of women committed to gathering formally for a year, with a specific guide, encountering different topics each session set to specific intentions that we've thrown to the universe.
It's been six months and we're halfway through. How can that be?
Tonight was about recommitting to the "Hell Yes" portion of our intention in the "Holy Yes" sort of way.
You know how it goes...when you first get really excited about an idea, a hope, a way of really expressing your passion...you want to scream "Hell Yes" on a mountain top. Pumped, jazzed, full of boundless energy to give birth to this part of your being, you declare it to the world and for a while everyone joins you...mostly consumed by your giddiness and love, they celebrate and cheer you on.
And then a month, two months, three pass and soon, your idea has been peddled to all of your closest loved ones, friends, neighbors and well, it's collecting dust and you're losing steam. You're getting tired and wonder what the fuck were you even thinking in the first place.
That's when you get quiet, really quiet with yourself and reflect. You scream, you cry, you bargain, you beg and then you try living the old way...you know the way you were before you declared your personal passion to the world and all of a sudden, the comforts of the old are not quite so comforting and you're anxious because you know that you can't go back...ever. It's out there and no matter how much you push it, your soul is begging for it to be birthed in the world.
That's when you declare a "Holy Yes" personal proclamation with yourself...alone. You recommit. You pick it all over again...but differently...this time it's for the long haul. No matter if it ever garners additional support, popularity or belief. You have faith.
It's the sacred, tiny moment when you know that you are the most important person who needs to own it and as long as you do, everything will work out, exactly as it should, when it should.
The beauty of being in the room tonight was bearing witness to the personal gifts that these women are sharing with each other and the world. It's powerful. Palpable. A huge gift. An enormous leap of bravery.
Whatever your idea, wherever your truth resides...break free and own it, all of it, even if it's largely a lonely place possibly for a really long time. My hunch is, my hope is, my prayer is that it's worth it.
Hell Yes to the Holy Yes.
A small group of women committed to gathering formally for a year, with a specific guide, encountering different topics each session set to specific intentions that we've thrown to the universe.
It's been six months and we're halfway through. How can that be?
Tonight was about recommitting to the "Hell Yes" portion of our intention in the "Holy Yes" sort of way.
You know how it goes...when you first get really excited about an idea, a hope, a way of really expressing your passion...you want to scream "Hell Yes" on a mountain top. Pumped, jazzed, full of boundless energy to give birth to this part of your being, you declare it to the world and for a while everyone joins you...mostly consumed by your giddiness and love, they celebrate and cheer you on.
And then a month, two months, three pass and soon, your idea has been peddled to all of your closest loved ones, friends, neighbors and well, it's collecting dust and you're losing steam. You're getting tired and wonder what the fuck were you even thinking in the first place.
That's when you get quiet, really quiet with yourself and reflect. You scream, you cry, you bargain, you beg and then you try living the old way...you know the way you were before you declared your personal passion to the world and all of a sudden, the comforts of the old are not quite so comforting and you're anxious because you know that you can't go back...ever. It's out there and no matter how much you push it, your soul is begging for it to be birthed in the world.
That's when you declare a "Holy Yes" personal proclamation with yourself...alone. You recommit. You pick it all over again...but differently...this time it's for the long haul. No matter if it ever garners additional support, popularity or belief. You have faith.
It's the sacred, tiny moment when you know that you are the most important person who needs to own it and as long as you do, everything will work out, exactly as it should, when it should.
The beauty of being in the room tonight was bearing witness to the personal gifts that these women are sharing with each other and the world. It's powerful. Palpable. A huge gift. An enormous leap of bravery.
Whatever your idea, wherever your truth resides...break free and own it, all of it, even if it's largely a lonely place possibly for a really long time. My hunch is, my hope is, my prayer is that it's worth it.
Hell Yes to the Holy Yes.
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