Last week, we hosted a group of 35 emerging and legacy leaders in the human services sector on Bowen Island to kick off our sixth Leadership 2020 cohort. Hosting the group on Bowen Island is a powerful way to begin and end this ten month program, and there is tremendous value offered by hosting it on Bowen Island. We are a small island with a working village and we have evolved an inventive way of hosting gatherings. We call it “Village as a Venue” a name coined by my friend Tim Merry to describe the way he hosts gatherings in …
Yesterday I had my first haircut in 24 years. Since 1990 I have kept my hair in a braid that was probably 18 inches long, for all kinds of reasons. Yesterday, for all kinds of reasons, it was time for that braid to come off. It’s been a bit of a conversation on my facebook page and folks here on Bowen Island are starting to get a look at my new head. News travels fast in small communities. And commonly I am asked, does it feel lighter? And surprisingly, the answer is no. Because when you chop off your hair …
Excellent stuff. Think about your thinking. Happy New Year.
Every year on this day I mark the remembrance of the 14 women that were killed at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989. It was one of the most transformational experiences of my life, to be alive and aware on that day. Since then, the long gun registry that was put in place as a result of that murder has been disbanded and we aren’t making much progress on dealing with violence against women in this country And so from now on my December 6 posts will include both the 14 roses and images that capture something …
For a couple of years now I have been teaching myself how to SUP (stand up paddle board). It’s a pretty simple process. But like all simple things there is a depth to practice and technique that helps you get better and better. And the changing context of the ocean and the winds and weather means there is never a way to “win” at it. The thing about SUP is that the conditions change radically all the time. One day is flat calm and the water is like glass. Another day – like today – it’s windy and the chop …