My colleagues and I are pleased to announce a new 60-hour ICF accredited program on Resiliency Coaching.

I admit it has been hard to write during, and about the COVID 19 virus. My primary thoughts have centered around our interpretations of what it means to live in a democracy. Democracy as a concept is about governance by the whole. I’m struck at the persistent cries of those who assert their individual rights – “you can’t tell me to wear a mask.” True, being forced to wear a mask is called an autocracy, not a democracy. In an autocracy, if you are told to wear a mask, you do it or risk the consequences for non-compliance. It’s in a democracy where we have the luxury of acting for the good of the whole. I’m sad that many elected officials have veered away from the notion of acting for the good of the whole. OK, enough said.

On another subject, how has this pandemic tapped your resiliency? I’ve reintroduced myself to cross-stitching (it really can pass the time), zoom calls with friends, actually reading most of The New Yorkers I am accumulating, and taking long walks listening to audible. I’ve spent time doing absolutely nothing; binge watched Homeland – working on Ozark. I’ve made some complicated recipes with success. I’ve sat with my emotions and let them wash over me. I’ve missed hanging with my friends. I’ve enjoyed my time with Steve – a surprise. I love just sitting in the morning with a good cup of coffee and watching Morning Joe. And yes, I’m dealing with my restless soul that wants to see Baby Bailey, drive the Alcan with Wendy, and visit our VT. home and friends.

As we all continue to navigate this ongoing challenge, let us be mindful of the gifts we have, the challenges we face, and the choices we can make to care for our communities. In our most stressful time, pause and remember that kindness is contagious; kindness helps soothe a fearful heart; kindness is about all of us, not me and them. By caring for ourselves and others, we can be the leaders who guide us through this time of uncertainty.

Simply put, words do matter. In the words of the late Dr. Judith Glaser, “Words create Worlds.”

Below is the preface to an article by Alexandra Natapoff. I have attached a link to the full article. Why should we care about this subject? An acquaintance of mine recently contested her traffic violation with the Vermont Traffic Bureau. Her only avenue to fight the ticket was to appear in court. There are no other options.

My father was a politician most of my childhood. The right AND responsibility to vote was part of my upbringing.

Yesterday at yoga, our teacher read us this passage from A Writing Life, by Annie Dillard. It was thought provoking for me – hope it is for you as well. Happy Reading!

  I took my car to the dealership where we purchased it for an oil change and routine maintenance.  The dealership owners keep a refrigerator full of 4-ounce water bottles – very considerate of them. I finished one and, and getting ready for my second, asked an employee if they had a recycle for the empty plastic bottle. He said no and told me to toss it in the wastebasket.

I love road trips. As I write (and Steve drives), we are 40 miles outside Flint, MI. I didn’t know much about Flint until Michael Moore shone attention on the horrible water situation and the significant poor population affected. As we move toward Flint, I think about water and its lifeline to keeping us alive. Yesterday Scott Pruitt resigned as EPA director. I’m glad he is gone; he is unlikeable in so many ways. Still, following in his limited tenure are individuals who will likely continue the policy reversals of Pruitt. Who speaks for Flint and its residents? 

I love road trips because the landscapes of this country and the many others I have visited are a story, unfolding the plot and opening my creativity as I fill in the storylines. I imagine the peaceful pond with young lovers getting to know each other as they canoe along the edges, out of sight of interstate 69 with cars and trucks roaring close by.

I assume the black Lexus SUV, proudly displaying the notice that one or both inhabitants were graduates of Michigan State University, are proud of their alum and the comfortable life it afforded them. 

Although I love road trips, I have disdain (getting worse) for GPS. GPS follows a logical path to help you get from point A to point B. GPS doesn’t tell a story. GPS doesn’t point out the unknowable, unexplainable. GPS didn’t tell me to look in the cornfield at the deer. GPS hasn’t commented on the thunderstorm that roared through Ajax, Canada last night and cleared both the sky and humidity for the glorious travel day we are enjoying.

My eyes appreciate the different greens of the landscape, almost as if they were intentionally sequenced. And then my eyes meet that of the long haul trucker we just passed. I wonder what the trucker thinks as he drives through state after state, sometimes indistinguishable except for the GPS proudly welcoming you to Michigan. 

I ponder the stories he could tell, and likely won’t. Perhaps collecting secrets is part of the allure of driving truck.  

And for all I love about road trips, I long for days where a map was all you had available for navigation. Maps teach us scale, direction, shape, population, connection, landscape, and how to find the off the interstate roads that take you to such places as Cawker, Kansas, - home to the biggest ball of twine. And yes, I have been there.

Over many years as a consultant, trainer, and educator, I have been asked to provide training to build teamwork among employees. I’ve done lots of these training over the years. Recently I had the unexpected experience of working as a team, and this blog will share my surprising learning’s from experience.

At some point in our lives, we all likely think about what we would do if we had a do-over opportunity. I’m no exception.

So much of our time can be caught up in the mundane  - just staying current on daily living with work and chores can be enough. My husband Steve and I decided to break our routine and head to Washington D.C. for the march. We were two among thousands of people who came out to protect our democracy.

Today, the 12th of November, I along with hundreds of others celebrated and grieved the life and death of Neil Taylor.

I was listening recently to a podcast and was struck by the statement, “compassion is good for business.” Over the subsequent days, I thought about compassion, how to access it, its role in leadership, and in general, compassion’s value when deeply rooted in our overall humanity.

Last week April Armstrong (one of our Justice Coaching Center coaches and consultants) and I attended four-day coach certification training on mBIT (multiple Brain Integration Techniques). Over the past two years, I became drawn to the notion (and subsequent research) that our complex neural networks operate in the heart and the gut as well as the brain.

As we head into a new and surprising presidency, we are experiencing more tumult than usually accompanies the traditionally peaceful transition of power in our democracy. We are witnessing the appointment of “business” people to cabinet positions who have little or no experience in running governmental organizations.  This has led to widespread concerns about the difference between running an organization focused on profit for those who own a piece of the corporation (stockholder) and those who have no stake in its success.