Monthly Archives: August 2012

Canal Conversations

Do you ever find yourself in a phase of synchronicity? I am there right now, with bizarre coincidences and delightful serendipity popping up here, there, and everywhere. One such coincidence took the form of Marcus, a gentleman I had the pleasure of meeting this week whilst cycling home.

Cyclists and walkers pass on the narrow path…

I’m making an effort to cycle to work more often, trying to be less of a ‘fair weather’ cyclist. I am lucky that this commute is 80% on a towpath beside a canal, which runs through my village. Since I have been more present there I have started to see how those of us cycling, walking, or rowing there form a kind of transient community. We pass by one another, or travel in convoy for little stretches, and some of us meet every day. Continue reading

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Only three percent? It’s a start…

What I know about myself is that I am immersed in this search for connection, a feeling of true belonging to my community and neighborhood.  In my everyday work, I teach of the values of connection, community and inclusion. Yet, in my own neighborhood, it is clear that I lack these things.  So I suppose this will out myself a bit, but alas, this is a place of learning and sharing.

I’ve begun the process of getting to know my neighbors.  Continue reading

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… And now let me share mine!

The bridge between us

Last week Kirk challenged us all to take up the art of storytelling. We have been thinking a lot about how fundamentally respectful it is to listen deeply to another person’s story. And now I wonder; what about sharing my own story? Is there power there too? After all, we aren’t trying to be counsellors. We are fellow citizens, neighbours, and friends seeking a way to connect. If I listen well to you, you may feel nurtured, valued, heard. But if I hear your story and then tell you my own, then I hope you feel all those things PLUS. Plus trusted. Plus needed. Plus connected. Continue reading

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Tell me your long story…

What risks being lost in our fast-paced culture today, is the art of storytelling. The meaning behind a story is in the telling itself, which is to say a story isn’t a story if it isn’t told. But why aren’t we telling our stories? Well, life moves fast. We are all busy. We want to get our information fast and we want to give our information fast. Texting and emailing have become the norm, while a good old-fashioned letter has pretty much gone the way of the buffalo. The consequences of these trends are visible in our lives: fewer neighbors truly getting to know one another; fewer block parties and phone trees. We could lose our sense of community, as it exists in the purest form. So what do we do about it? Continue reading

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