tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53154020375808896142024-03-18T21:52:49.887-07:00Conversations with KarlaConversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-38839678452485499912020-09-10T13:20:00.036-07:002020-09-18T14:59:10.067-07:00Don't Wait Too Long<style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
mso-outline-level:1;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold;}
p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Header Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
tab-stops:center 3.25in right 6.5in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Footer Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
tab-stops:center 3.25in right 6.5in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
mso-themecolor:hyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
mso-ansi-font-size:24.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-font-kerning:18.0pt;
font-weight:bold;}
span.apple-converted-space
{mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
span.FooterChar
{mso-style-name:"Footer Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:Footer;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
span.UnresolvedMention1
{mso-style-name:"Unresolved Mention1";
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#605E5C;
background:#E1DFDD;}
span.appsmaterialwizmenupapermenubuttonlabel
{mso-style-name:appsmaterialwizmenupapermenubuttonlabel;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
mso-ansi-font-size:9.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.PlainTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Plain Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text";
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;}
p.Body, li.Body, div.Body
{mso-style-name:Body;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica Neue";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
color:black;
border:none;
mso-style-textoutline-type:none;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}
span.HeaderChar
{mso-style-name:"Header Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:Header;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
p.Default, li.Default, div.Default
{mso-style-name:Default;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:8.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica Neue";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
color:black;
border:none;
mso-style-textoutline-type:none;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}
p.p1, li.p1, div.p1
{mso-style-name:p1;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;}
span.s1
{mso-style-name:s1;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
@page WordSection2
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection2
{page:WordSection2;}
@page WordSection3
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection3
{page:WordSection3;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:235018340;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1039879640 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:926186555;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:1950221472 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2
{mso-list-id:1155488357;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:481359270 67698693 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l2:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3
{mso-list-id:1226335290;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1472958788 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l3:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4
{mso-list-id:1269041978;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-528170052 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l4:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:58.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:94.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:130.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:166.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:202.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:238.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:274.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:310.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:346.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5
{mso-list-id:1455561631;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1157742450 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l5:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6
{mso-list-id:1862817668;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:1338961512 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l6:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7
{mso-list-id:1911692908;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-2040095540 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l7:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
-->
</style><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">Don’t Wait Too Long<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">By Karla Boyd, Ph.D. and Andrea Chilcote<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">September 18, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The extraordinary events of the past months have brought most of us face-to-face with new fears and anxieties, and they are playing out in the workplace. In last month’s </span></i><a href="https://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2020/07/calling-in-support-for-new-future-what_27.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">article</span></i></a><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, the authors, Karla and Andrea, concluded that organizations are recognizing the very real need for support for leaders and employees at all levels.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">This environment cries out for leaders to practice unbiased, empathic listening. There is, as well, a clear demand for professional support through executive coaching and personal counseling, </span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">and<i> leaders who are capable of making the distinction.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The authors are again collaborating to share their years of coaching experience and reflection, to invite leaders into a deeper resonance and response to this demand. Both share their present thoughts and musings, offering wisdom, insight, and experience. Karla is also sharing the final results of a survey and interviews that she conducted with leaders and professional counselors.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Karla<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Don’t Wait Too Long<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I sit quietly in the living room for a unique visit. It is sheltering in place time. We four wear masks. This is my niece’s first visit after 33 years. Three generations are represented. We do what is seldom done on such occasions of connecting in, after ever so long. We discuss the elephants in the room…big, looming elephants.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">To give a context, we represent four generations of traumas that have occurred in our various family and places of work systems. Because we are family, those elephants get a loving acknowledgement when need be. We linger long enough to go into a deeper connection of kindness with one another…a <i>deeper</i> listening<i> </i>for moments of possibility and healing. Likely because of one or more of those traumas, my great-nephew, for his mom’s birthday, sent her a ticket to fly here…yes, fly across America…even now, during the pandemic. I heard from this great-nephew earlier this year in a text: “I miss my family. I wish I could come visit. As soon as we are safe, can we?” Because I know his history, albeit second hand, I realize that his lament is genuine. Even with his text, my heart skipped a beat. Because my niece, above all else, is a dedicated mom, she received her son’s gift with a thankful heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">It is the first time, in the open air, that one of these deepest family traumas is spoken among us four. That alone is fresh air. We breathe in more deeply—yes, even with our masks on. Do I feel sad to sit in a room with such tender and difficult communications as clear pain is being shared—with our masks on? I do. It is not easy. These conversations and revisiting of traumas are not easy, especially for the person reconnecting with them. The pain is visceral and palpable around the room. I am a person who easily leaps up and hugs in family contexts, but I pull back with the edicts of sheltering in place. <i>Sigh</i>. At one point, my niece does get up from the sofa and goes over to sit with her son and his girlfriend. We are communicating deeply. We are also being careful to follow protocols and to be intelligent about safety precautions. We are clumsy and we are finding our new way. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In our family today, we speak openly of four generations of trauma. My nephew’s girlfriend <i>(can we soon please say fiancée?)</i>, also invited in, shares of her own deeply traumatic events and history. Her traumas are also multi-faceted and alarming. Now more generations of a complex family are called into this encounter around the room. <a name="_Hlk50453653">I invoke one more generation, my grandparents, to give us all a stable foundation upon which to rest…in having these fierce dialogues.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">How these two young people found one another is pure grace. I ask them how it is that they, in the face of these traumas, are able continually to have such love between them. They both attest to learning to listen to one another more deeply; and to <i>“own”</i> when they are triggered. Sometimes, my nephew says, if he gets triggered because he is not understanding the different perspective his girlfriend is sharing in a discussion, he lets her know he needs a bit of time away to sort out his reaction and then will return. She nods in agreement and says she does the same. She often needs to take alone time to sort out older wounds before the conversation can continue. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Perhaps the biggest surprise for me has been the impact of EI [Emotional Intelligence; EQ in present time] in the world of business, particularly in the areas of leadership and employee development (a form of adult education). </span></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Harvard Business Review<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> has hailed emotional intelligence as “a ground-breaking, paradigm-shattering idea,” one of the most influential business ideas of the decade.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Daniel Goleman, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“</span><a href="http://www.danielgoleman.info/topics/emotional-intelligence/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Emotional intelligence</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">”<i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Andrea illustratively points out in our first article, “</span><a href="https://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2020/07/calling-in-support-for-new-future-what_27.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; padding: 0in;">Calling in Support for the New Future: What Leaders Need Now</span></a><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; padding: 0in;">,” that EQ has been active in organizations and leadership; yet it has a long way to go in being fully implemented. “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Despite the publication of Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking work, </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-Matter-More-Than/dp/055338371X/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=daniel+goleman+emotional+intelligence&qid=1599089317&sr=8-3" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #665ed0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; padding: 0in;">Emotional Intelligence</span></i></a><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; padding: 0in;">,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">in 1995 (that was 25 years ago), we still are not comfortable with emotion in the workplace.”<span style="color: black;"> In </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">our workplace, how often do we <i>really </i>give over to the need for these difficult and courageous conversations, granting each other the time and space to go off when old triggers are emergent? How often are organizational cultures designed around generating the open, non-judgmental dialogues—without consequences—that <i>allow </i>for transformational leadership change that impact the triple bottom line? Many say we are a long way from there. But in reality, we have <i>real traumas</i> that impact our entire nation; all people and all organizations <i>need</i> to face that reality, then learn how to have those difficult conversations that will create harmony, safety, and wellbeing in the workplace. We can longer seek a new normal. We human beings are a verb. We are always evolving in a process to become more of who we are. Our organizations need to be a verb, too. We need to move toward an authentic higher ground, not in denial but in transformation, when we embark on having courageous conversations for real possibilities…impacting a viable future. </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Some things are much more difficult than others. Many business groups and family members operate with an unspoken rule book, including a list of undiscussables, topics that are [deemed] too risky to bring up. Some topics on the undiscussables list are in the form of quid pro quo agreements. Sometimes we avoid saying what needs to be said because we’re sure there will be consequences. “I take the high road” is often an excuse for not tackling the issue. It is far better to take the </span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">direct<i> road.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Granted, revealing painful truths</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">our own or others’—is rough. Understandably, many of us fear confrontation because it hasn’t gone well in the past. All attempts to date have failed miserably. We don’t know how to make it better this time, and the stakes are fairly high. We sense that there a monster might be lurking in the bushes and today is not the day we are prepared to take him on. Or this is not the hill on which we are prepared to die.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Susan Scott, </span></i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Conversations-Achieving-Success-Conversation/dp/0425193373" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Fierce Conversations</span></a><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Andrea<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Let’s Start Where We Are</span></b><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today a client—I’ll call him Gordon—asked me if I was sensing more fear and anxiety “out there” than at the beginning of these crises. His question stopped me in my tracks. “Well…maybe so,” I thought, and then replied: “Yes, I think you’re right.” His question stopped me because I hadn’t fully noticed. I had begun moving too fast, perhaps not listening deeply enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gordon followed up by sharing several close-to-home stories, including one about a family who had just lost two healthy, adult parents to Covid, leaving their only son, a teenager, behind. The story anchored me in reality. We all know someone who is suffering and, as a result, we are suffering ourselves. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the early weeks of the crises, we took time to check in with people before jumping into the meeting agenda. I’ve noticed a movement away from that, even though things are far from normal. Are we so tired of being in a state of limbo that we’re pretending to get back to business as usual? Or, have the pressures, stressors and anxieties increased to the point that we don’t know what to do with our own and others’ feelings? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Shortly after my conversation with Gordon, I spoke with Karla, my co-author for this article. She, too, said something that gave me pause: “What’s happening now is traumatizing for anyone who feels.” I understood. It doesn’t matter if loss of health, life, financial stability—or respect—has hit me or a loved one personally. People with the ability to empathize feel the pain others are experiencing. And for many, it has become overwhelming. How is it that some seem to be managing well, even moving through most days with immense gratitude, while others seem to be at a point of breakdown?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Researcher Kandi Wiens’s work correlates components of emotional intelligence with the ability to avoid burnout, despite high levels of stress. In one study, she found that of those describing their stress levels as<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"> “severe, very severe or worst possible,” the majority of these individuals with high EQ were<i> <em>not experiencing burnout, a condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, a cynical attitude and dissatisfaction in one’s own performance. Her work posits that people who </em></i>are aware of their emotions and the source of them, and can recognize and empathize with, yet distinguish others’ pain from their own, are more able to manage stress. Wow. How do we help those around us grow this capacity? As an executive coach, I feel compelled to help people build this capability, especially now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">We have written before about the importance of the ability to slow down, become present with another, and deeply listen. Now more than ever, the need is for listening without bias and without a compulsion to fix or advise. Genuine, empathic concern is a key ingredient. And, for the listener—the leader in our context—it is a complex process that is dependent upon self-awareness and our ability to distinguish our experiences from others’. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Karla<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Empathy, Communication, Listening and Yes, Therapy too. <span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Genuine, empathic concern is a key ingredient.” How Important that is, Andrea!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I took a deep breath, hoping that I had an empathic ear for my family. A new moment emerged after we had a lovely lunch on this recent visit. Safer, deeper experiences could be risked in sharing. But, oh my, deep waters were called in. I knew the stakes were high; you know, there<i> could be </i>a monster lurking<i>. That could be true. </i>I asked deeper questions that were welcomed. And a few that were not. The ice was thin. Maybe it was not the best moment to skate out to the middle of things? Maybe I was not being <i>that</i> empathetic? Family dynamics are messy kinds of things. Be that as it may, the question of receiving support and therapy had already been identified in our earlier dialogue with us all sitting in my living room. After a gentle inquiry into exploring whether this painful encounter had been openly acknowledged with a request to work it through, there was a pause in our dialogue. The response came with a sadness to it: “I have tried before to have this conversation. More than once. It didn’t work.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Directly?<i>” </i>came the solemn question from another family member.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There was squirming in the seat. Someone cleared a voice. Gingerly, I made a statement and then repeated my question during this now deepening dialogue: “You know your pain is deep and very real. How about requesting therapy with the other person on this matter?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“And how about asking it directly, when you are not upset or hurt or angry?” came another quiet question from across the table? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Our dialogue did not initially change the pain or the resignation being shared. It did open up new options; there was a sense of things being aired, people being valued. The pain being real. “I will be reflecting on this moment and what everyone said in the days to come,”<i> </i><span>was the grateful response that signaled the end of our lunch hour together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Isn’t that <i>the possibility of a new beginning?</i> Yet how many of us keep repeating attempts to call attention to an issue between us with another person and then become resigned? Our messy issues beg for transformation in our work relationships as much as they do in family dynamics. There are many possibilities here. One way of deepening communication is:<span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The key is learning to describe the gap—or difference—between your story and the other person’s story. Whatever you many think and feel, you can at least agree that you and the other person see things differently. Importantly, you don’t have to know what the other person’s story entails to include it in initiating the conversation that way. All you have to do is acknowledge that it’s there; there are probably a lot of things you don’t understand about their perspective, and that one of the reasons you want to talk is that you want to learn more about their view.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeydmFGTlK6cL8KP9iZrMqFvJyBOXc92XJ1BBkSwvw_zr_m4tQDAjvafQnsO5tegg29muv00dTz5-AY0HKbaeVLpYTTSf-1Yu6xOZsqy8otMf0Phiwwhn19gILytqpSliJWEKDMq96-Qk/s2048/lens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeydmFGTlK6cL8KP9iZrMqFvJyBOXc92XJ1BBkSwvw_zr_m4tQDAjvafQnsO5tegg29muv00dTz5-AY0HKbaeVLpYTTSf-1Yu6xOZsqy8otMf0Phiwwhn19gILytqpSliJWEKDMq96-Qk/s320/lens.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span> </span>[You can say] “My sense is that you and I see this situation differently. I’d like to share how I’m seeing it, and learn more about how you’re seeing it.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Shelia Keen; </span></i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Difficult-Conversations-Discuss-What-Matters/dp/0143118447/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=difficult+conversations%3A+how+to+discuss+what+matters+most&qid=1599328325&refinements=p_lbr_one_browse-bin%3ADouglas+Stone&rnid=2272759011&s=books&sr=1-1" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Difficult Conversations</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Another possibility lies in the answer to the survey question that I sent out to help us get a deeper look into what is needed during these crises’ times in our organizations. A well-known and active member of many organizations, while fielding a high-profile career as a veterinarian and sitting on countless boards, has this to say in answer to this question: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">Comment on the phenomena of these crises producing stress and behavior that’s more exaggerated than in the past. How might a leader engage in developmental dialogue without prying into the team member’s private past? How best can the leader respond if the team member “invites her in?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Me—I would listen hour after hour—do not cookbook a solution.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Still another possibility lies in clear knowing when to support someone to get a therapist when crises have either reached a critical mass or a tipping point. This is the question that the survey asks:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">What might tell me that coaching isn’t the best approach and that I need to make a referral to a therapist? How do I know when a client needs personal support?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">Here is a sampling of some answers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">The further off base from the person’s ordinary usual behavior the more likely to refer. A one-time discussion should be done to decide that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">When the employee is clearly already being overwhelmed or if less severe mental health issues are not showing significant improvement in response to a primarily supportive approach.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">When an employee is becoming emotional during coaching sessions and is struggling to remain pragmatic and collaborative, that is a sign that they need support. This support could be therapy. If a person is resistant, it could tell you that you moved in too deep or quickly or that they are not ready to contact those feelings. Therapy could help.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Suggest [Employee Assistance Programs] EAP if available as it is an easier first step, free to the employee, fully confidential and easier to accept as normal, helpful, useful, educational, rather than something they need due to being deficient.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; margin-bottom: 12pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">If a team member seems traumatized in any way and show signs of being activated a lot by smaller things in the work environment, then look for resources for that person. Find the right person to help them to shift out of that state. A therapist is schooled to help trauma.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Help clients who are triggered become more grounded and have better balance in the work environment in ways that are not triggering or stigmatizing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Transforming crises in the work place and organization as well as creating safe cultures<i> is</i> our present time work. Otto Scharmer from MIT says in a recent article, “</span><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://medium.com/presencing-institute-blog/a-new-superpower-in-the-making-awareness-based-collective-action-83861bcb9859" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">A New Superpower in the Making: Awareness-Based Collective Action</span></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">”</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 31.5pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We want to be part of a different story of the future. We want to contribute to redirecting where we are heading as a society.</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #292929; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">Covid-19 has become one of the most effective and impactful teachers of our time. It’s providing an advanced lesson on systems thinking with the planet’s 7.8 billion citizens as students. Yes, some of us have already learned these lessons intellectually. But now our bodies have too. We are acutely aware of our global interconnectedness. </span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 31.5pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #292929; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 31.5pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #292929; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">We are many, and we are one. We breathe the same air. We drink the same water. We walk the same earth. We enact the same global web of social, economic, and cultural connections. You thought it didn’t matter to us what happens on the other side the globe? You thought it didn’t matter to you if vulnerable people in your community didn’t have health insurance that would cover a Covid-19 test? Well, now we know better. Now we know that ignoring our fundamental condition of interconnectedness leads us to design institutions that utterly fail in moments like this. In other words: it’s time to “rip off the veil of unreality,” as Peter Lipman, co-chair of the Transition Network, suggested the other day.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Isn’t that the hallmark of empathy, to become more aware of <i>our self and world construct</i>…of our shared environment? Doesn’t listening more deeply let us know when and how to respond more lovingly…<i>and appropriately?</i> Doesn’t it let us know when to refer and stop business as usual? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Andrea<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Burnout, EQ and Flexibility <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Karla’s questions in the previous paragraph are imploring. Reread them. If your answer is “yes,” you can (and must) be part of the solution. While Wiens identified a group with high EQ who </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZQUHcY2O0t5Ea1y5t0BEWoRXqQGPbQP3JT-2P3doCLSsVcZaUW0LmUnOi_l1md0uwBYl1Ae27psVVZFs3ke73-kZdtnd52Qg2HYy7JWz-b5G7c7DIO30SFZEQCnrxbPtZ6zULxw0Q8c/s600/IMG_1565.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZQUHcY2O0t5Ea1y5t0BEWoRXqQGPbQP3JT-2P3doCLSsVcZaUW0LmUnOi_l1md0uwBYl1Ae27psVVZFs3ke73-kZdtnd52Qg2HYy7JWz-b5G7c7DIO30SFZEQCnrxbPtZ6zULxw0Q8c/w400-h240/IMG_1565.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />largely were not experiencing signs of burnout, others are. In an article <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">entitled “</span><a href="https://hrexecutive.com/why-coaching-is-exploding-since-covid-19/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Why Coaching Is Exploding Since Covid 19</span></a><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">,” the authors point to </span><a href="https://hrexecutive.com/hres-number-of-the-day-employee-burnout/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">another recent study</span></a><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"> that finds 68% of 1,600 people surveyed who are working from home are experiencing burnout. What is the difference, and what do these people need? </span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">We have some answers that point to organizational culture. Employees who are allowed more flexibility and control over their schedules have been managing the crises more easily, and are able to do their jobs despite this disruptive work environment. In anecdotal observations of my own client organizations, those whose cultures were employee-centric and more empowering vs. “command and control” have leveraged these cultural elements for good short-term results. Yet it appears this isn’t going to end any time soon. If EQ is a factor in preventing burnout, how do we build that in the midst of crisis? Perhaps a place to start is with the question: <i>What do our team members need?</i> I’ll suggest that what they (and all of us) need as a prerequisite to pragmatic strategies is understanding, inclusion and connectedness. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To Listen for Understanding—Empathic Listening<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Let’s unpack the need to be understood. Being understood is not just being “listened to,” in the typical sense. In my experience, it begins with empathy.</span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #282828; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Brené Brown says we have an empathy deficit in our culture. I agree, and suggest that many don’t even know what it is. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: black;">What Empathy is Not</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Empathy is not a behavior. Behaviors can be utilized to <i>express</i> empathy: “You sound excited,” or “It looks like you’re feeling sad.” When we perceive a feeling in another, expressing that can build connection <i>if we’re right.</i> Stating what we see or hear is safe, because the other person can correct us. “I’m not sad—I probably look that way because I’m exhausted.” When we tell someone they <i>are</i> feeling something, or that we can <i>understand</i> how they are feeling, we’re in dangerous territory because it pre-supposes we know. In fact, we can never fully know or understand another’s experience. When we listen deeply to another, we notice signs and signals that indicate how they’re feeling. A person with a high degree of social awareness—the aspect of emotional intelligence defined by the ability to recognize the emotions of others—can pick up these signals and check them out by reflecting what they see or hear. While it’s a skill that can be built, reducing this reflection behavior to a technique misses the importance. It can seem disingenuous if the listener does not know how to separate her own feelings and biases from the observations she’s making. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Empathy is not: “What I would think or feel if I were you.” If I had someone else’s situation, I would naturally respond in different ways because my experiences, personality, likes and dislikes, and values are different. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Empathy Is<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Empathy occurs when we seek to see things from the experiential point of view of another. The word empathy comes from the Greek </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">em <i>meaning into and </i>pathos <i>meaning feelings, emotion, passion. When we experience empathic feelings, we realize that the other’s point of view is rationally consistent from his or her perspective, however disjointed it may appear from ours. Empathy does not mean we must agree with, or have positive feelings about, the other’s point of view. Empathy is about using our imagination and good will to understand another—cognitively, affectively and behaviorally—whether we agree with them or not.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p align="right" class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">—Catherine Anne Lombard, “</span></i><a href="https://loveandwill.com/2015/07/04/empathy-training-shoes/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Empathy Training Shoes Part 1</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">An exhibit in Europe’s traveling Empathy Museum, entitled “</span><a href="https://www.empathymuseum.com/a-mile-in-my-shoes/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Mile In My Shoes</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">”,</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">allows visitors to literally do just that—walk in someone else’s shoes. Their website says the exhibit “holds a diverse collection of shoes and audio stories that explore our shared humanity. From a Syrian refugee to a sex worker, a war veteran to a neurosurgeon, visitors are invited to walk a mile in the shoes of a stranger while listening to their story.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">While we can never really know what another is feeling or experiencing, we can come close by approximating their state of being. It begins with the physical body—our own. If we are to metaphorically step into another’s shoes, we must first embody our own shoes in order to make the distinction. Then, we can observe ourselves from their perspective. Here’s an example:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let’s say I’m planning a conversation with my colleague Tonya. Tonya recently had foot surgery and is still wearing a cast. Like so many of us, she also is working remotely, sharing an office with her work-from-home husband and 12-year-old daughter who is attending school virtually. I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated during my conversations with Tonya. She complains about everything, and even sighs frequently. Yesterday she rolled her eyes on a Zoom call. It’s not who she is, and I want to help her see how her behavior is affecting our entire team and their perception of her. Yet every conversation we have leaves the issue unresolved, and seems to increase the tension between us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To prepare for the conversation, I would sit in my chair, in front of the screen I use to connect with Tonya on Zoom. I first notice my body—how am I sitting? Are my feet on the floor, sitz bones on the chair? No—and I feel that slight ache in my left knee. Imagining that I’m connecting with Tonya, I move my awareness to my upper body, then my face. I notice tension in my shoulders and tightness in my face. Am I really pursing my lips? As I look at her face on the imaginary screen, I begin to speak, and listen to my tone. I begin to detect frustration—and maybe even judgment. I take the time to examine the words I’m choosing. Then I identify the emotion I feel. It’s more than frustration—it’s exasperation, borne from the fact that I can’t get through to this associate whom I admire so much. The exasperation lives in my shoulders and facial muscles. Could she be seeing that? Could she be put off by my tone of voice? I decide to check.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I now imagine myself in Tonya’s spare bedroom. Momentarily “becoming” Tonya, I sit down into her chair, and prop my foot onto the oversized ottoman. I have to adjust my body so that </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzK8GLyY4JCiP4Bs2GR7hqljXlJ-A0gg8CSpkBsqMClZN_Awg-eD0w8WUPNCusxOZY1Gj0ncPzqWJqdZn1qzn31zhNYjre6UOs56G2BBvBYUVdSmckPHorDqMu-bvzor7ZakkwNFrMzw/s2048/shoes.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzK8GLyY4JCiP4Bs2GR7hqljXlJ-A0gg8CSpkBsqMClZN_Awg-eD0w8WUPNCusxOZY1Gj0ncPzqWJqdZn1qzn31zhNYjre6UOs56G2BBvBYUVdSmckPHorDqMu-bvzor7ZakkwNFrMzw/s320/shoes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>my leg fits nearly parallel to the desk and the computer screen blocks the sun from the window. I notice that the cast is heavy. If I focus on it, I can feel the tight restriction it creates on my foot and ankle. In this odd position, I notice discomfort in my hip and back, and what a challenge it is to make eye contact with the camera. Paying attention to the environment, I can hear my husband and daughter consumed by their work, talking as if I’m not there, as if this doesn’t distract me. Now, I look into the screen. I see my work colleague (me) alone in her well-equipped home office. She looks tense. “What now?” I think. Is she going to try to cheer me up or admonish me? As she begins to talk, I realize it’s the latter. She has no idea what I’m going through. <o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">From this exercise, I get a glimpse into what Tonya is experiencing. While I don’t know exactly what she’s feeling—I can’t label her emotions with precision and I don’t really know how her foot and body feel—what I gain is her experience of me, in the context of everything else she has going on. That precious information allows me to adjust my approach. I can sit differently, relax my shoulder and facial muscles, choose a different tone and perhaps different words. The empathy that I now have transforms my previous feeling of exasperation. It becomes compassion. I feel prepared for our next conversation and hopeful about its outcome. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">People often ask me, “How do you know that Tonya will respond well to the new approach?” The answer is that while I don’t know for sure <i>how</i> she will react, I do know that she will <i>re-act </i>differently, given that that my approach will be vastly different. By identifying my own physical and emotional state of being, observing my colleague’s <i>and</i> making a distinction between the two, I am able to approach her with both empathy and compassion—a far better formula than a well-intended yet self-centered approach. This is emotional intelligence in action.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Seeing Our Blind Spots<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The most important leverage point for profound change lies in seeding and cultivating these fields of deepened connection with each other, with nature, and with ourselves. The emerging superpower of this century is linked to our capacity to bend the beam of observation back onto ourselves. This shift of our attention allows us to see ourselves through each other’s eyes, to keep our gaze focused on our behavior as a collective, and to become aware of our own blind spots</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">in order to bend the curve, to reimagine and reshape civilization to bridge the ecological, social, and spiritual divides.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Otto Scharmer. , </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“</span><a href="https://medium.com/presencing-institute-blog/a-new-superpower-in-the-making-awareness-based-collective-action-83861bcb9859" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">A New Superpower in the Making: Awareness-Based Collective Action</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">”</span></span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Coaching and therapy can help leaders and their teams deepen their listening for self and others</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">exploring where they need to be compassionate and empathic with first themselves and then others…and then the<i> environment</i>. This listening, compassion and empathy naturally leads to deeper resilience and emotional intelligence as leaders lead, becoming more effective with teams. Empathy for our times and all of us caught up in these global crises that seep into our organizations can also give leaders access to telling the truth more about what is truly needed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Another place leaders can grow during this unprecedented time of crises and innovative work environments is in deepening their empathy capacity. Invest in developmental communication that unearths your own blind spots and expands your capacity to be vulnerable. Loving and powerful communication is an art. There are no bullet-point presentations or black-and-white tools that will pave the way. Even our seasoned and practiced survey participants offer a vast range of views in how to help shift the inequity in the workplace and create supportive cultures. Learning how and when one of their answers is useful and needed is an inquiry into communication practices</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">not a prescription. Learning how to invite in painful dialogues is needed, so that team members do not feel pressured to oblige because someone is their boss or team member. Respecting other’s privacy while letting them know you are there for them if they need support is, again, an art. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Leaders do need to open their minds and eyes to see that they and their teams might need more support, coaching and therapy than the outdated business models allowed. Now is the time to reshape our work cultures. There comes a time when referrals are needed and appreciated. But how to be effective in making a referral becomes an opportunity to be empathetic and drop into someone else’s shoes for a moment. This is the question the survey posed:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">What are things leaders can do in their response to Covid-19 and recent societal crises to foster a culture that is supportive to employees and teams? Especially in terms in inequity around ease of working at home? (e.g. presence of small children, single parent, other stress at home)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Here are some of the answers:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Dialogue with employees about their needs that do not have to do with job performance. Instead it would be good for leaders to have an underlying assumption that job performance can be supported by directly supporting employee’s needs and be less focused on only the projects at hand. Simple changes can be very effective. No meetings before a certain time. For example, know the school schedule. Schedule meeting times in blocks that work for employees with children around the employee’s children’s school schedules. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Over time build rapport and keep building more rapport. When a person feels safe with you, they will lessen their walls. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGIraphUVzrpU5Ek7CDFWVno6-CAl8rd32WY6AALe-svaKx885H586UW7fX0MCUX3LylYPveKaAbDAkxossEkaaoj3p1E_xPQ33b8vY3molPgZYGf4yJAKlh6BOSI-yqecHOJXTqDpx8/s1851/photo-1575064538488-41922ad291df.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1851" data-original-width="1234" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGIraphUVzrpU5Ek7CDFWVno6-CAl8rd32WY6AALe-svaKx885H586UW7fX0MCUX3LylYPveKaAbDAkxossEkaaoj3p1E_xPQ33b8vY3molPgZYGf4yJAKlh6BOSI-yqecHOJXTqDpx8/s320/photo-1575064538488-41922ad291df.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Validate them. Stand in their shoes. Have empathy. If they are stuck on a task at the job or stuck in any way, let them have a felt sense that you understand and are understanding. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">To let someone, know that “I’ll be here for you.” Empathy: “I too have stress. I know how stressful it is running errands right now. I know how stressful it is for me in working at home.” Give examples of something that happened to you like, “My husband Dave just tuned the computer on full-time and it caused him fatigue and isolation. He needed time to walk around in the fresh air and to talk with a few people more.” I don’t know what the answers are for folks who have kids at home; that’s up to leaders and those folks to perhaps brainstorm how to support them with daycare. I don’t know what you would do but it needs to be explored and implemented.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Let them know that you are only listening for growth and understanding. There is no hidden agenda. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Balance and connection are key in times of crisis. Leaders can think holistically about what stabilizes and nourishes team members and shift priorities to focus more on the contexts within which team members are living and working….and are impacted by the various global crises. Leaders can increase flexibility and willingness to collaborate on how to reach realistic goals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">As a leader, it would be important to ensure (as much as possible) that the employees and teams have access to the resources required to successfully work remotely. Extremely important that there be frequent check-ins with employees to identify mental health issues at the earliest time possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #1a73e8; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Listen, acknowledge, try to understand, be compassionate, supportive, don't judge, and don't think you have to do a mental health evaluation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Develop a list of supports and resources in the community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Keep building trust. Assure them they will not be attacked, fired, or written up in a performance review for what they share with you in private.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Work with them on their issues. Are they feeling heard and seen for what they are sharing? Let them know that their diversity and uniqueness is valued and will not devalued if it differs from others, policies, or team consensus. Help them to feel included in the culture and not pushed out. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">If they feel as if their diversity is not honored, team members will shut down or deflect to keep their jobs. Work with them to shift the company and culture’s barriers so that their voice and perspective is included as mainstream in the culture. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Learn to have equanimity in listening; do not become unglued if someone is distressed; learn to listen with respect, concern, and detachment so that the person feels safe to explore what is emerging for them. If it is serious do not escalate in a threatening way. Instead reach out and get them the kind of hands on support with EAP, a therapist, or a crisis center. Let them know you care and are respecting their needs. Do not judge.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:1911692908;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-2040095540 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
-->
</style></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Ask people if an extra support system is desired or needed. Normalize this possibility. Perhaps check back in with them a few days later, even if they are in the midst of using that support. Let them know you are more than their boss.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">“Not qualified to answer”</span></i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> is a refreshing reply to a question as one individual replied that he felt it was not in his domain to respond. This answer was from our veterinarian, <i>who, by the way, was overly qualified to answer</i>, but had the humility to let others say it best. Along with being humble, emotional intelligence often requires us to more deeply lean into the reflections of others as to how to become empathic and deepen our listening. Andrea and I, for instance, have been in new conversations deepening our own empathy, exploring also how to coach others in deepening theirs. I am someone who believes powerful communication is key in good leadership practices. It is ongoing, this evolving of that capacity in ourselves…and then enabling others in their evolutions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Andrea pointed out in our first </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2020/07/calling-in-support-for-new-future-what_27.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">article</span></a></span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> that self-referencing and comparing one’s personal experience with another’s is often a disguise for empathy. And yes, when an eager person jumps in to tell about their relative’s illness when you are devastated about news you just received about someone you love, it adds salt into your wound. There is no listening for you and your personal experience. Being quiet, listening for more to be said is an art. Learning how to contact someone in a way that person needs to be contacted is what the years of seasoned communication training and development is all about. Sometimes paradoxically to Andrea’s wisdom, when someone in the organization is feeling dismissed or not part of the culture and community; and they break down and share that with a team member, it can be, in the right moment, and after listening deeply to their pain, uplifting for someone to say:<i> </i>“I am here for you. And so that you do not feel isolated, I want you to know that you are not the first person who has come to me feeling this way. I have heard others, for similar and other unique reasons, who feel that our culture is not inclusive. I want to validate that for you.” Our whole society right now is screaming to be heard and to be validated. <a name="_Hlk49159671">Having empathy and communicating it well is an art, an art we all need to learn.<o:p></o:p></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Our participants contributed deeply to helping us all define better leadership practices to evolve our work places right now. In the survey, we asked participants to respond to the following:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">“</span><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.1pt;">Comment on the phenomena of these crises producing stress and in triggering wounds and behavior that’s more exaggerated than in the past. </span></i><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">How might leaders engage in development dialogues with team members without prying?”</span></i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Here is what they offered:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">I guess in communication, certainly as this is a leader talking to one of his employees, it is important to know that unless there’s a high-level of trust, someone who is being triggered will not open up. It might not even be appropriate for them to open up. They may need to explore their triggering wounds with a therapist. Some team members might feel comfortable sharing what triggered them. Not all people do. Building trust on a daily basis is very important. That is what therapists do all the time, they keep building trust The leader has to listen to his employees. Not just talk at or to them; She/he has to listen and be respectful. She/he has to gain their trust. They have to not be doing it because he/she is wanting the question answered. The person has to know that they can go ahead and say the thing that is bothering them. It is all about trust again. This is an evolving dialogue built on trust. They need to trust that this is our normative practice to have support.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">I would need to listen. Leaders need one-pointed attention; undistracted and not multi-tasking. They need to listen in a one-pointed way, not just in the crisis, but during the lifetime of that employee. Then the employee begins to see and say, “You know, I can say something to her and I won’t be reprimanded.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Leaders need to give the employees the reality that they can be heard. They need to know what they are saying matters and is respected. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Get training in watching for body language of the team (</span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://bodywisdompsychotherapy.com/ourapproach/?doing_wp_cron=1598131947.6222050189971923828125" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Somatic Education</span></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">)</span></span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> to notice if someone on zoom is having a hard time. If you wonder about unusual concerns with a team member and it seems like they are in trouble, you might consider calling in EAP to do a screening support interview and consultation if the employee is open or in danger. Do this with empathy and no judgement. Let it not be reflected on the performance review.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">High levels of stress activate core wounds and anxieties and increase the chance of maladaptive and heightened defenses against those wounds and anxieties. Team leaders can focus on strengths and success stories: what has helped in past times of elevated stress, what strategies make previously reliable and adaptive resources more accessible? Leaders don't necessarily need to know what the difficult "private past" is, but once again normalize the process of current threats/stressors triggering past vulnerabilities. If the team member does share vulnerable details, the leader must not use that disclosure against the member but express deepened care and commitment to supporting the member, including encouragement of seeking appropriate professional support. The more serious the level and nature of team member distress, the more pronounced that encouragement will need to be.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #1a73e8; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">It is also important for the leader to be very cognizant of the power dynamics at play in these contexts, and to be ready to be fully supportive if that is the direction that they are going to go to explore a team member concern. I would also advise in these times that leaders need to create space, not for deep dialogue about what is happening, but just space for its acknowledgement. For example, offering an acknowledgement of living in extraordinary times can be very helpful. The leader does not have to be all things, but they can make space for the humanity of the people they work with.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #1a73e8; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Don't use phrases like "core wounds" even to fellow leaders. This tends to reinforce the general attitude of therapy being for disturbed people who need serious help. If someone is having an intense emotional reaction, be supportive, compassionate and "normalize" the value of talking with a professional "counselor." No need to inquire into details and personal history. More important is the person's immediate situation. Again, let employees know about their EAP benefit if they have it and normalize it as helpful, a support, not an assessment that they need serious help. Leave that up to the EAP counselor.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Don’t pressure a team member to open up. Sometimes communication and intimacy are like the dolls that have layers and layers to them. Sometimes pulling on one thread is too intimate and threatening for the person for the work context. Don’t pry. Be conscious of the dual relationship. You are the lead for the team.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Take care when inviting in someone to share—only if they want to. Reassure them that the company does not have record of them talking openly to you. Don’t diagnose. Have healthy boundaries.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #1a73e8; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="background-color: white; background: white; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">If the leader suspects “core wounds”, I would think this is even more of a reason to consider involving a professional. As a leader, it would be important to not become overly involved, i.e. being drawn into a therapist role. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">All over our planet, on any day and in any country, we can see the collective traumas growing and know more and more people who are impacted. From fires again burning in Colorado and California to nation-wide Covid concerns causing schools to open and then to close again abruptly, we have our hands and hearts full. But our hands are asked to hold even more, from social unrest to relentless concerns about economy and job security. Our hearts grow heavier from the children suffering without enough care and from countless evacuations during 2020’s fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes. All of us are impacted by this surge of emergencies and all of us viscerally, when ready, can tap into our global communities and collective despair. I realize we all have a choice right now amidst these crises and current events. We can choose to collapse into overwhelm and let our fears plunge us into confusion and despair. We can rail against our collective traumas coming at us from all sides, or we can bury our heads in the sand and “<i>hope it all goes away soon,”</i> a sentiment shared by yet a different niece when we texted each other last night…hoping <i>we will not</i> have to evacuate as my nephew’s family just did.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Or we can decide that our lives are worth living, that our places of work have the potential to lift us up and inspire</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">that we can co-create our new world…and build compassionate work cultures. And if we choose the latter, and I do, then we can all exhale and wait for new breath to find us. We can plunge into empathy for ourselves, for our organizations, for each other</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—</span><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">and for our world around us</span></i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">. We can do that much. We can lend our ears. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwcQS3iYcR-GiZBAB-P_ZygDBW3QHC5l33wceKC2XToPlpKYUHz43tLse-i9IBGSOzU_B0CyoxE7lNfjXnU-QTdIUo6zx-kPUQ5x4PxwiQMmvSW-1E7xnDvrgqiWat0fOiTvHIDgX7Vk/s2048/photo-1516422821770-ee3c71d84383.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwcQS3iYcR-GiZBAB-P_ZygDBW3QHC5l33wceKC2XToPlpKYUHz43tLse-i9IBGSOzU_B0CyoxE7lNfjXnU-QTdIUo6zx-kPUQ5x4PxwiQMmvSW-1E7xnDvrgqiWat0fOiTvHIDgX7Vk/s320/photo-1516422821770-ee3c71d84383.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; text-align: start;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">With my niece who visited after 33 years, her son, and those looming elephants in the living room…dialogues are tentative but ongoing. In recent texts, it emerged that the folks in this gnarly conflict all happened to be on a text at the same time. Okay, okay, I might have nudged things a little for a text dialogue to show up that invited in our spirited and friendly selves, making fun emojis. I was playful, sharing photos and making comments. It was sort of like shaking a fruit tree loose as children, hoping that lush ripe peaches might fall out onto the ground that you can sink your teeth into as juice drips down your chin…jiggling things loose, hoping to find treasures. Presently, there is no real way to know if this good-natured gesture, gingerly venturing into expanding connections, will help ease tensions. But I did have the chance to follow up on a conversation recently. There was still doubt about moving the dial. But now there is commitment from one person, that at the first real opportunity and in a heartfelt way, communication would happen. This conversation, like so many in our society, is a continuing process. Old wounds got opened and heard. As a result, some things might be in shift. I need to keep listening in for those possibilities. <i>And,</i> as one of my mentors reminded me recently, “Give them a chance to work it out on their own!”</span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">You can respond by turning away, or by turning toward. Turning away means closing your mind, heart, and will—in other words, acting from ignorance, hate, and fear. Turning toward means opening your mind, heart, and will—acting from curiosity, compassion, and courage. These are the choices we face in any moment: Do we turn away and close down, or do we turn toward and open up, activating the deeper levels of our humanity?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">—Otto Scharmer, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“</span><a href="https://medium.com/presencing-institute-blog/a-new-superpower-in-the-making-awareness-based-collective-action-83861bcb9859" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">A New Superpower in the Making: Awareness-Based Collective Action</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">”</span></span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Andrea <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Art Lessons<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">When I teach skillful listening, and processes like the one I outlined for gaining empathy for Tonya, I often make the distinction between “techniques,” which can be utilized in a rote, step-by-step manner, and genuine other-centered connection. It’s the difference between completing a paint-by-number portrait and taking an art lesson. Karla stated earlier: “</span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Having empathy and communicating it well is an art, an art we all need to learn.” We <i>can</i> learn this art, and a prerequisite is authentic concern for the other.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Like Karla’s family story, our workplaces have elephants that represent unspoken traumas. I often have a vantage point that allows me to see the collective good intent, even as people feel unheard, bullied and marginalized. I know that many leaders do not intend to create isolation and disengagement, even as they unconsciously withhold information, deliver terse directives in response to their own stress, and fail to listen. In these situations, I want to tell them all to talk to one other, and stop making up stories in their heads about unspoken intent. Yet I know it is not always safe to talk. Art lessons are needed. If you have the capability and capacity, your contribution to this sacred form of empathic listening is needed now more than ever. If you are in need, there has never been a better time to learn. Don’t wait too long.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 13.5pt 0.0001pt 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">About the Authors:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="Default" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 13.5pt 0.0001pt 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla Boyd, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">Karla Boyd Ph.D., a lover of animals and people, is an organizational and leadership development consultant, Equine Guided Leadership Coach, and a writer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">In all of her work, she helps people connect with their passion more deeply. Karla inspires all to have a more intimate relationship with nature, animals and making a difference in the world, and she inspires a deepening and revitalization of loving and healing initiatives in our world. Karla has joined others in creation of innovative designs for palliative and hospice care for people and animals, honoring the dignity of all life. As founder of Namaste Global Vision, she empowers animal stewards to transform the animal steward world. She invites philanthropists to align their values with donor giving practices in intentional and dynamic ways.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222;">Karla designs curriculum for non-profits, small businesses, and large organizations. </span>She has designed and implemented comprehensive leadership development programs in diverse organizations including philanthropist and animal steward communities, created high-potential leader programs, and integrated innovative system change designs. She has worked with hundreds of leaders to improve performance and individual leadership capacity, and her many certifications include Ontological paradigms, Appreciative Inquiry, and Equine Soul of Leadership Coaching. Her blog is <a href="https://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><i>Conversations with Karla</i></a><span class="s1">.<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla Boyd, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Founder and CEO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Namaste Global Vision<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><a name="_Hlk45789007"></a><a name="_Hlk45811340"><span></span></a><a href="mailto:namasteglobalvision@earthlink.net" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span><span><span style="border: none; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="border: none;">namasteglobalvision@earthlink.net</span></span></span></span><span><span></span></span></a><span><span></span></span><span><span><span style="border: none; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea Chilcote<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span>Andrea Chilcote holds nearly three decades of experience in the organizational development coaching and consulting field. Her notable work includes enterprise-wide organizational development initiatives as well as executive coaching, partnering with executives and their teams across a variety of Fortune 500 companies and diverse business sectors. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span>A recognized, trusted partner who gets results, Andrea focuses on client relationships—taking much pride in her track-record of longevity and sustainability in client connections. Her programs and methods meet leaders on their development trajectory, moving them beyond the superficial to integrated behavioral change.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea Chilcote<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">President & CEO<o:p></o:p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Morningstar Ventures<o:p></o:p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="mailto:andrea@morningstarventures.com" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black;">andrea@morningstarventures.com</span></a><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://www.morningstarventures.com/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black;">www.morningstarventures.com</span></a><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
mso-outline-level:1;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold;}
p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Header Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
tab-stops:center 3.25in right 6.5in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Footer Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
tab-stops:center 3.25in right 6.5in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
mso-themecolor:hyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
mso-ansi-font-size:24.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-font-kerning:18.0pt;
font-weight:bold;}
span.apple-converted-space
{mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
span.FooterChar
{mso-style-name:"Footer Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:Footer;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
span.UnresolvedMention1
{mso-style-name:"Unresolved Mention1";
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#605E5C;
background:#E1DFDD;}
span.appsmaterialwizmenupapermenubuttonlabel
{mso-style-name:appsmaterialwizmenupapermenubuttonlabel;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
mso-ansi-font-size:9.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.PlainTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Plain Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text";
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;}
p.Body, li.Body, div.Body
{mso-style-name:Body;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica Neue";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
color:black;
border:none;
mso-style-textoutline-type:none;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}
span.HeaderChar
{mso-style-name:"Header Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:Header;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
p.Default, li.Default, div.Default
{mso-style-name:Default;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:8.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica Neue";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
color:black;
border:none;
mso-style-textoutline-type:none;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}
p.p1, li.p1, div.p1
{mso-style-name:p1;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;}
span.s1
{mso-style-name:s1;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:235018340;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1039879640 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:926186555;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:1950221472 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2
{mso-list-id:1155488357;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:481359270 67698693 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l2:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3
{mso-list-id:1226335290;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1472958788 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l3:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4
{mso-list-id:1269041978;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-528170052 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l4:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:58.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:94.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:130.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:166.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:202.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:238.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:274.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:310.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:346.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5
{mso-list-id:1455561631;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1157742450 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l5:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6
{mso-list-id:1862817668;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:1338961512 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l6:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7
{mso-list-id:1911692908;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-2040095540 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l7:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
-->
</style><span face="-webkit-standard" style="font-size: medium;"></span><span face="-webkit-standard" style="font-size: medium;"></span><span face="-webkit-standard" style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: start;"><a href="https://whatleadersneednow.com/"><span style="color: black;">www.whatleadersneednow.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
h1
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
mso-outline-level:1;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold;}
p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Header Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
tab-stops:center 3.25in right 6.5in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Footer Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
tab-stops:center 3.25in right 6.5in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
mso-themecolor:hyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
p.MsoNoSpacing, li.MsoNoSpacing, div.MsoNoSpacing
{mso-style-priority:1;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{mso-style-priority:34;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
mso-add-space:auto;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
mso-ansi-font-size:24.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-font-kerning:18.0pt;
font-weight:bold;}
span.apple-converted-space
{mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
span.FooterChar
{mso-style-name:"Footer Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:Footer;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
span.UnresolvedMention1
{mso-style-name:"Unresolved Mention1";
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#605E5C;
background:#E1DFDD;}
span.appsmaterialwizmenupapermenubuttonlabel
{mso-style-name:appsmaterialwizmenupapermenubuttonlabel;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
mso-ansi-font-size:9.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.PlainTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Plain Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text";
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;}
p.Body, li.Body, div.Body
{mso-style-name:Body;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica Neue";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
color:black;
border:none;
mso-style-textoutline-type:none;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}
span.HeaderChar
{mso-style-name:"Header Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:Header;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;}
p.Default, li.Default, div.Default
{mso-style-name:Default;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:8.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica Neue";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";
color:black;
border:none;
mso-style-textoutline-type:none;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center;
mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}
p.p1, li.p1, div.p1
{mso-style-name:p1;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;}
span.s1
{mso-style-name:s1;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
@page WordSection2
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection2
{page:WordSection2;}
@page WordSection3
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection3
{page:WordSection3;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:235018340;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1039879640 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:926186555;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:1950221472 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2
{mso-list-id:1155488357;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:481359270 67698693 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l2:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l2:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3
{mso-list-id:1226335290;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1472958788 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l3:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l3:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4
{mso-list-id:1269041978;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-528170052 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l4:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:58.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:94.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:130.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:166.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:202.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:238.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:274.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:310.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l4:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
margin-left:346.5pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5
{mso-list-id:1455561631;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-1157742450 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l5:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l5:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l5:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l5:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6
{mso-list-id:1862817668;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:1338961512 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l6:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l6:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l6:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l6:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7
{mso-list-id:1911692908;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-2040095540 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;}
@list l7:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l7:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l7:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:"Courier New";}
@list l7:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-family:Wingdings;}
-->
</style>Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-91723461604571692032020-07-27T08:34:00.000-07:002020-07-27T08:34:11.245-07:00Calling in Support for the New Future: What Leaders Need Now By Karla Boyd, Ph.D. and Andrea Chilcote<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="color: black;">The extraordinary events of the past months have brought most of us face-to-face with new fears and anxieties, and they are playing out in the workplace. Are organizations recognizing the very real need for support for leaders and employees at all levels?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5315402037580889614&useLegacyBlogger=true" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<i><span style="color: black;">A number of years ago, Karla and Andrea explored the distinctions and efficacy of executive coaching and therapy. Then, there was a great need, as well as unspoken requests for both. The question that emerged was simple: “How do we distinguish a need for executive coaching vs. personal counseling?” Now, in this environment, the need is even greater, there is a clear demand for both, and we’re finding that the answer is far more complex than ever.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: black;">The authors are again collaborating to share their years of coaching experience and reflection, to invite leaders into a deeper resonance and response to this demand. Both share their present thoughts and musings, offering wisdom, insight, and experience. Karla is also sharing results of a survey and interviews that she conducted with leaders and professional counselors.</span></i></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why Do Leaders Need Support Now?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Very few, if any, of us will emerge from the experience of recent months unchanged. Likewise, our organizations have been fundamentally transformed, because the parts of those systems – people and processes – have changed.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consider these questions for yourself: What has changed in you? What has emboldened you or been revealed to you? What aspects of your value system and your personality have awakened? And, as a leader, what will you do with this new perspective?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuG1gp9UeHuDKqX0RLUGYEYKe19P0-o0rd4hQIW-fGsJN1wXX1ChB-jHy0vzhsn5i5CVBubGkhHXyI6vMzfz0ix90OsHLzQAbFKUKdYpO8heQ30E_rbLpCTk8_GshPyFA2V-PLPAnDDmc/s1600/cloud+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuG1gp9UeHuDKqX0RLUGYEYKe19P0-o0rd4hQIW-fGsJN1wXX1ChB-jHy0vzhsn5i5CVBubGkhHXyI6vMzfz0ix90OsHLzQAbFKUKdYpO8heQ30E_rbLpCTk8_GshPyFA2V-PLPAnDDmc/s400/cloud+1.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our most profound personal growth often emerges from darkness. Yet the process must be an intentional one. Just as we learn from the cycle of grief, we do not arrive at a place of meaning and purpose without willingness to examine our literal, mental, and emotional experiences. As conscious humans, it’s a personal responsibility. As leaders, it’s a responsibility to serve others by drawing forth their awakening, their emergence from crisis into a place of clarity about their unique talents, capabilities, and purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">We can’t return to the way things were because that way no longer exists. Are you compelled to help others re-enter work with a new vantage point, a new lens? Do you have a sense you are embarking on your most purposeful work as a leader?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">As an executive coach, I have never experienced a time in which my work with clients was more needed, valued, and purposeful. As leaders are considering these questions, implicitly or explicitly, they are doing so against a backdrop of fear, pressure, and anxiety. How do we, as leaders and professional practitioners, discern what support they need?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">New Learning Curves and Needs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">How do leaders in organizations know when they need coaching or therapy? How do leaders support teams that work from home? How will leaders define new cultures, allowing teams to safely disclose authentic needs?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">These questions are a few posed to a wide reach of survey participants. Key leaders and therapists shared insights, wisdom, and successes both through the survey and interviews. Survey participants resoundingly replied that leaders need to deepen their capacity for empathy. They said new communication skills are key. They were resolute in saying that leaders need to create healthy cultures that invite teams to openly share their concerns without repercussions. Even when people thoughtfully declined responding to the survey, interesting dialogue followed. One person noted that Zoom was an:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 4.5pt 0in 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 40.5pt 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">…awkward platform for me, as I am a person that looks for people’s responses to me as I speak, and it’s hard to see or hear (especially when people are muted) any responses.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 40.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">How much that captures how many people, leaders from diverse paradigms, are coming to meet these new times hewn by <i>at least two major crises</i>. We are being asked, as if overnight, to learn new communication skills while we are treading water. I have heard from many people who are having new difficulties as they follow protocols to stay at home, </span><span lang="IT" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">utiliz</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">e innovative media connections, and manage complex family dynamics. The person who noted her own concern about Zoom is a highly sought-after somatic teacher, coach, and therapist. What she has honed over many years is a deeper listening to people’s congruence with their body language. For her, this is not a small learning curve as she leans into new ways to coach her clients. For teams reliant on their yearly rope courses for their executive teams; or hospice doctors, nurses, and volunteers now needing to do more online work, it is a huge learning curve in how to move forward. The best hospice teams I know are recognized <i>for</i> their personal hands-on touch. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Linda Morgan Roberts and Courtney L. McCluney in Harvard Review, June 2020 communicates that:</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><i><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span> “</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Millions of people are trying to navigate nonexistent physical boundaries between their personal and professional lives within their homes.” </span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">They share further that black professionals, who have learned <i>“code switching skills</i>” to alleviate cultural tensions, receive fair pay, and maintain privacy, are taxed with facing new conundrums with virtual meetings:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 40.5pt 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">They are now literally broadcasting more of their identities from their personal living spaces. Work from home arrangements often require people to (virtually) invite coworkers, clients, physicians, students, and professors into their homes, which undermines their ability to exercise agency and control over how they present their identities. </span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQjuLAONqjVHEsTIOf9K6Y21C1DufJZBYGkcx9JXc1lhzmzcPzShxRwaE9TxlPndAbI36JA_VjG96BZ11mUGkdeZOMUxhAVHKc7JJf8XRzOGt0C2_AMb8-kfAvl_MNeT4K5s5plZfeRs/s1600/cloud+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQjuLAONqjVHEsTIOf9K6Y21C1DufJZBYGkcx9JXc1lhzmzcPzShxRwaE9TxlPndAbI36JA_VjG96BZ11mUGkdeZOMUxhAVHKc7JJf8XRzOGt0C2_AMb8-kfAvl_MNeT4K5s5plZfeRs/s400/cloud+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I was recently on an escalated tech call with technician who really knew her stuff, there was a moment when I sensed she was torn during our exceptionally long call. We both took a breath so that we could humanize the moment. I could feel her question.<i> Could she trust me?</i> I replied to her and it led to a needed, brief but personal dialogue about sheltering in place and working from home. She had a new baby and she was crying a room away. The baby had help; and yet she <i>was</i> a mother. I was in need of her help for a computer that was crashing and stopped my project. We both humanized our connection and communication. Hmm, I do wonder how many of us are doing just that? <i>Or how many of us hold back, not knowing what to say?</i> How many others want to return to civil but impersonal dynamics as before? But we all are being asked to learn new listening skills as we move forward. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For many people, </span><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Zoom </span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">is</span></i><span lang="IT" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> a lifesaver</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and an opportunity, as travel became scant to nonexistent for many business meetings during the pandemic. For those of us feeling relief with Zoom and other media resources, many have new learning curves that are different difficult climbs. Recently, two leaders shared that they felt lost and inadequate during their loved ones’ hospital emergencies. One woman connected with her mother via FaceTime while she was quarantined…<i>and dying</i>. She could not sit with her mother and say good-bye…<i>or reassure her in her final hours</i>. Both leaders communicated that their loved ones died…alone…<i>and that there would be no funeral</i>. Burial, in both cases, was postponed. <i>Where do these leaders go with their grief as they sit working at home?</i> Do these extreme emergencies and losses affect them…and their teams? </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">One survey question asks: “When do you believe is a good time for leaders to consider working with a therapist?” This answer just arrived a bit ago:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 40.5pt 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I looked at your survey and was impressed with the complexity and importance of the questions, and I was overwhelmed by them. I don’t have the bandwidth right now to take them on, which might be sign that I need another session with </span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">my <i>therapist.</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<b><i><span style="background-color: white;">Andrea</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<b><span style="background-color: white;">The Case for Listening</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What people need right now is to be heard. Listening is how we find out what they really need. Listening is something every leader can do more of, and it’s not always easy. Many people have a bias for problem-solving and giving advice, and that is not what is appropriate in this situation. The answers to our innermost questions at this time are within us. The leader who is willing to listen deeply then can act to “hold space” for the team member to speak. Then, the individual can get present with her feelings and is more able to articulate what she needs. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two great questions are: “What’s happening right now – how do you feel, what are you thinking?” followed by: “What do you need right now?” I have had many instances in which I have asked clients this sequence of questions over the last 90 days. “What’s needed” is rarely something I can give them, including advice. My value as a coach comes from simply reflecting their own thoughts and feelings. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many clients have expressed profound sadness over the last 90 days. There is no “answer” for that, only empathy. I say, “Yes,” when they express a feeling like this – there is really nothing else to say. Other clients point to feelings of anxiety and stress due to their circumstances. “I’m exhausted because I am working around the clock. There’s no way to leave work when it’s five feet from my kitchen.” I ask, “What is one small step you can take?” One client replied, “Set an end time for work today, and honor it. Close the door to the makeshift office and do not re-enter until tomorrow.” So simple – and she did honor that, because the answer was hers.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="Body">
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For Coaches and Therapists, Listening is Key<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overwhelm, anxiety, depression, multicultural concerns, racial disparity, uncertainty, and trauma are just a few of the global factors that have one seasoned therapist scrambling to find space for not only her regular clients in request of more time, but also former clients requesting new support. This therapist is not alone in stretching her workload to meet the growing needs of clients. Many therapists are on the front lines working with corporate leaders as well as ER doctors and nurses. Others specialize in enabling clients to stay safe and well. Most all seasoned therapists work with clients in <i>“being curious about how one is living his life, of how one’s mind and body are helping or interfering with the fulfillment of one’s longings and tempering of one’s fear,”</i> as one survey participant aptly describes.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overwhelm may be the code word for everyone<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s need to come to grips with 2020 and its multitude of crises. There is a growing mainstream awareness that if individuals and companies return to earlier business models, they could deepen these crises; but if they define new futures, they can help transform these seizures. Skating along on fragmented paradigms, hoping that the ice does not crack, simply will not work any longer. Therapists, like most leaders, are exploring creative ways as they work from home, offering multi-platforms for client work. Leaders all across the map are seeking greater balance in their work and personal lives as we unfold new futures. “How do leaders allow for this new way?” was answered by one respondent in saying:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-right: 40.5pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Focus on microcosms</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> –<i>the contexts within which community members spend most of their time</i> – <i>and ask this question: What am I doing to help cultivate contexts that support healthier functioning and increased opportunities for meaningful, adaptive existence for all member</i></span><span lang="ZH-TW" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">s?</span><span lang="ZH-TW" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another person replied: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-right: 40.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-right: 40.5pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I would also advise in these times that leaders need to create space, not for an in-depth dialogue about what is happening, but just space for its acknowledgement. For example, offering more time off, time away from unnecessary meetings, more flexibility as an acknowledgement of living in extraordinary times. The leader does not have to be all things, but they can make space for the humanity of the people they work with.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-right: 40.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I posed two questions to the Conscious Leader course participants, when I was asked to offer a cameo presentation: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0in 13.5pt 0.0001pt 27pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0in 40.5pt 0.0001pt 31.5pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">How do I generate a workplace culture that is sensitive to these current crises, enabling safety, well-being, and trust? What core value will I contribute to the creation of this new culture?</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 9pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When leaders invest their time and energy in coaching for themselves, they are more reliable to inspire and co-create the cultures that support teams to move into a new future. One therapist interviewed said she champions business leaders with models that offer direct services to their teams. She gave an example of an organization that is holistically addressing the crises we are experiencing:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0in 40.5pt 8pt 31.5pt;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk45019015"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I was hired as one of Airbnb’s referral therapists. I am witnessing my client’s fears of the future as they experience depression, anxiety, and trauma. They </span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">offer paid services to all employees: therapy and wellness consultants and career coaching. I learned in the corporate office that when they laid off 90 percent of their employees, they still offered this support to them. They also have a genuine commitment to multi-cultural communities being hired. Airbnb is active in outreach to Brazil, Portugal, Guadalajara, and Ireland for their tech hires. They offer employees, including me, free breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.</span></i></div>
<div class="Body">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="Body">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Leader’s Responsibility<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many people, usually self-aware in ordinary circumstances, are demonstrating stress behaviors in the workplace. These people don’t necessarily need an outside referral, yet the behaviors can be annoying or even exasperating to the people surrounding them. The behavior is not new – it simply has been managed by the individual. What’s going on here?</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I offer that all of us have core needs and motivators<b> </b>– things we want from our environment and other people to keep us engaged and feeling valued and productive. When these needs are not met, we can have a conscious or unconscious reaction that shows up externally as stress behavior. Many of our core needs are not being met in this current environment. For most people, a simple conversation focused on what they need and aren’t getting is very helpful. Sadly, our propensity for avoiding courageous conversations in the workplace, combined with few or no in-person meetings, cause the issues to fester until we deem them performance problems. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s say you have a team member who you would describe as a brilliant, analytical problem-solver. He<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s strategic and loves to create structure and build things. He also happens to be a direct and extroverted communicator. You begin to notice and receive hints that he<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s being overly critical of his team – and you. The behavior escalates to the point that another team member logs a complaint, stating that he is a bully. What do you do?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The traditional approach is to provide feedback and some ultimatum if the behavior doesn’t stop. A better option is to provide the feedback, and simply ask him what<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s going on. Seek to discover what he needs that he<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s not getting. In our example, you would learn that his (preferred) predictable world just became ambiguous. You would learn that one of the people he is experiencing conflict with tends to be emotionally expressive, something he is quite uncomfortable with. You would learn that the environment and others in it are triggering stress behaviors, and that you as his leader can help him. You could help him develop a short-term micro-strategy despite the unknowns surrounding the company<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s long-term direction. You could help him see that the co-worker is also experiencing stress and expresses it through emotion – a stylistic difference, not a cause for judgement or ridicule. You can see that if the leader begins this process at the first sign of these stress behaviors, they might not escalate to this point of grievance.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Leaders I talk with are taking more time with members of their team, and they are allowing them to talk about whatever is on their minds. Often the conversation is enough. In other cases, they are learning that people have needs they are unequipped to meet, and this is where referrals to outside professionals become important. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many leaders have gained self-awareness through opportunities afforded them throughout their life. I don’t meet many seasoned executives who have not experienced therapy, executive coaching, personal development programs, or a combination of those. But rarely have all team members had the opportunity for those experiences. One executive recently remarked, “I have as much anxiety as the rest of my team. But I have tools. They don’t. Maybe I need to help them find resources.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 4.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 4.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Karla<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 4.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When Do We Refer?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 0.25in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">In May 2020, Business Insider reported:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 0.25in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0in 0.25in 0.0001pt 31.5pt;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Some 53% of </span></i><a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/employers-mobilizing-benefits-and-policy-changes-in-light-of-covid-19-301031641.html"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-decoration: none;">256 employers surveyed</span></i></a><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> by the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions reported providing special emotional and mental health programs for their workforce because of the pandemic. </span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 4.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Far from this being merely a triage trend, this integral emotional and mental health support was likely absent for a long time in companies. Newly identified, it provides a missing link to engaging a new future that will transform crucial parts of these crises. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Still, there is a stigma associated with referring employees to outside counselors. Survey respondents overwhelmingly said we must normalize these needs. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Leaders keep asking when do they need to refer themselves or team members to counseling systems or possibly an executive coach? Here are a few of the interview and survey replies:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 4.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Your sleeping patterns are disturbed, or you are not sleeping well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">You are finding yourself agitated all the time to the point where you say things and do things that you don<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>t normally do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">You can’t slow down your mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">You can’t turn off the media and the information coming in from there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">You realize you are having out of character reactions, are more easily angered and reactive to employees and customers. Sleeplessness, loss of appetite, depression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Be aware of classic signs of depression and/or anxiety, especially if they are occurring on a daily basis: feelings of hopelessness, loss of interest/motivation, fatigue, disturbed sleep, irritability, feeling tense, change in appetite or weight, emotional lability, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Some indicators that mental health support is indicated rather than coaching are: heightened anxiety, shutting down, impatience, loss of sleep, nightmares, disruption in relationships, work or otherwise, and a sense of loss of meaning or purpose. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">All leaders would be served by seeking out therapy and doing their own work, as it can only increase their capacity for leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">
One respondent said: “As a leader, I am recognizing the anxiety only by paying attention to my mind. I said one day to myself, “You must have some fear,” and so l watched for it and it is there. That is my sign that I need some additional support. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="Body">
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Normalizing Referrals for Counseling<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">As an executive coach, when I sense a referral to a therapist would be helpful, the first thing I ask is whether the individual is addressing the issue in any way or if he has in the past – through counseling, a physician, etc. If yes, I ask if that has helped or is helping, and work with them to create next steps from there. If they have not, I seek to normalize the recommendation. I’ll say something like this: “There are times in every one of our lives when we could benefit from outside help. Would you be open to exploring resources available – Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) or others?”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">One of the therapists Karla interviewed was very clear about stopping right there. She said that some people could be re-traumatized by even talking about what is going on with them, and that this is of particular concern when the “coach” is someone in an authority role – their leader. She referred to it as “psychological dabbling.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpW28L8Y_in16RLHrC64GjvQuNzKLufx5O-mfpc_K_i7d3tYUcjS8mZBWCr-P9FfB3Y5F-BPRoHI0Gu6FegInSjq4Uvs690j2D042u3gU1OXNBsjFswr6WYlQpzK486falpYZas-t7Ngs/s1600/cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpW28L8Y_in16RLHrC64GjvQuNzKLufx5O-mfpc_K_i7d3tYUcjS8mZBWCr-P9FfB3Y5F-BPRoHI0Gu6FegInSjq4Uvs690j2D042u3gU1OXNBsjFswr6WYlQpzK486falpYZas-t7Ngs/s400/cloud.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In my experience, dabbling can take the form of what I call self-referencing, comparing what is going on with the other person to something you experienced. It’s poorly disguised as empathy (“I have experienced what you’re experiencing”) but it’s far from empathetic. If you use social media, you’ll know what I’m describing. It’s the post about the loss of someone’s beloved pet, job or grandmother that’s met with a multitude of responses that go something like: “I know how you feel. I lost my dog two months ago.” When we do this in the context of an important relationship – leader or coach – we destroy foundational trust. In an attempt to connect with the other person, we disconnect because we get it wrong. What we presume they are experiencing, with our limited knowledge and self-referenced approach, may simply be inaccurate. Consider this statement a leader might make in response to someone who tells her she has been sleeping poorly since her husband was laid off: “When my husband lost his job, I couldn’t sleep through the night either. Therapy will help you let go of the guilt and learn boundaries.” How does this leader know guilt and boundaries are the issues this team member needs to work through? The fact is, she doesn’t. The better response would be: “When someone we love is experiencing a very difficult loss, it can be personally helpful to talk with a counselor.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Karla<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">How Do Leaders Support? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Another survey question asks what is needed for a supportive discussion between the leader and team member:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0in 45pt 0.0001pt 31.5pt;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">How might a leader engage in an appropriate and supportive discussion when a team member is expressing anxiety, depression, or trauma?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0in 45pt 0.0001pt 31.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The answers to this question and others advocate for defining a trust culture and to de-stigmatize the notion of therapy and company support services. Here is a sampling:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Don't use the word "debilitating," instead normalize emotional responses, make room for expression, listen, be yourself. If EAP services are available, normalize these services, too, and let employees know of this benefit, an extra support for getting through hard times. Use the term professional counselor rather than therapist. EAP specialists are trained to do the assessment as to whether or not the person could benefit from therapy. EAP counselors are, of course, all trained therapists, but EAP is more appropriately referred to as counseling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It’s important to normalize reactions especially given the current context (COVID-19) and can be helpful to self-disclose regarding your own struggles. Better to err on the side of caution and refer to a professional (for at least an initial assessment) sooner rather than later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Let the team member know he/she is not alone; ask what you can do to help ease the situation; really listen to what the team member has to say; refer to a professional if there are any threats of self-harm or harm to others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It is important for leaders to recognize their motives when engaging in any kind of dialogue about personal issues with an employee. If any employee is actively speaking about a mental health issue, something a leader might offer is, <i>"How can I be of most support so that you can get the help you need? Do you need more schedule flexibility? Change in amount of meetings required for your job? What can I do so that you can make space to take care of yourself?"</i> And to truly be open and without fear that their employee taking care of themselves will cause a work disruption, or even better to prioritize their employees’ humanity over their job performance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Do a general check-in with team members to see if they feel like any changes in the team system, structure or process can be implemented to better support the team members. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 27pt; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; position: relative; top: 1.0pt;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Normalize the probability that this context can be distressing. Listen for specific challenges and needs, identify if they can be addressed by leadership, and if not</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> – </span><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">or if noticing after implementation that they are not effective enough</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> – </span><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">compassionately reflect back to the particular team member that outside resourcing seems appropriate; that distress, dysregulation and/or dysfunction seems significant enough and that professional support could be quite valuable in processing, relieving, reducing or resolving anxiety, depression, or trauma.</span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -9pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -9pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -9pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -9pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -9pt;">•</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -9pt;"> </span>If it is interfering with job performance, office dynamics, or meeting dynamics, help the team member </span><span lang="DA" style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -9pt;">get </span><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -9pt;">to a professional.</span><br />
<span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fefffe; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -9pt;"></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #fefffe; color: #202124; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -9pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-xdxilP2078xS7pYoxfUga_NyJUfE39FYJIPDQfEZt_wRHHGXTRVqnpbPDfWm7Z35zyFUeFX6asde1yZJuhLhh0cZFXgTGe3Mq-g348vbi_3UkYM6IeTcSi4hWx8iaXYC5hCJL69cK4/s1600/cid%253AE8F5995B-74F0-400F-8AC2-255C8D9C8175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-xdxilP2078xS7pYoxfUga_NyJUfE39FYJIPDQfEZt_wRHHGXTRVqnpbPDfWm7Z35zyFUeFX6asde1yZJuhLhh0cZFXgTGe3Mq-g348vbi_3UkYM6IeTcSi4hWx8iaXYC5hCJL69cK4/s400/cid%253AE8F5995B-74F0-400F-8AC2-255C8D9C8175.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">One person listening to the Conscious Leadership series tuned out when he heard two of us talking about EAP services. How does this lack of deep listening for EAP come about? Leaders do not have an easy register for someone in need of EAP. Historically, an alcoholic’s confidentiality was not honored. Performance studies were what justified EAP use. This deeper question remains: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 9pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0in 40.5pt 0.0001pt 31.5pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Are company cultures and leaders taking a stand for support systems like EAP, counseling services, coaching, and emergency therapy services?</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 13.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Theresa Agovino of </span><a href="http://shrm.org/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; text-decoration: none;">shrm.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">, told us as of fall, 2019 that EAP was deeply under utilized…with a 5.5-10 percent usage. Ms. Agovino quotes Jason Richmond, a senior vice president at Beacon Health Options in Boston, who admits that their EAP utilization rate is about 5 percent: <i>“We tell people on the phone, on the website, everywhere.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Telling and posting about EAP services to employees is not enrolling leaders and teams in the valued partnership that EAP (and counseling and coaching) offers. The survey and interview responses indicate that both individuals and companies may have bias in generating EAP and counseling cultures in their companies. Their replies express the need, for all of us as leaders, to not only offer new support for team members but also to enroll them…with a promise that participation will not stigmatize or threaten employment. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">
<b><i>Andrea<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">
<b>What Is the Change That Can Emerge From You and Those You Lead?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">
To answer that, we have to examine what no longer serves our organizations. The crises of recent months have taught us key lessons about what leaders are doing – sometimes for the first time ever – that promote engagement during difficult times. It has also taught us that what doesn’t work in normal circumstances is even more harmful now. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">
There are implicit and explicit biases in the workplace that govern behavioral expectations, and they hold dangerous unintended consequences. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<b>Bias #1 - <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk44516694">Keep your “self” out of your work.<o:p></o:p></a></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
There has been an expectation that our personal lives belong at home and that our work persona should be a zipped-up version of our real self. Why? While we say we value diversity, being different makes us uncomfortable, as Karla points out at the start of this article. So we tolerate what we can see, and manage expectations for keeping the rest unexamined. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
In many organizations, there is clear message to conform – to work to fit into the culture. One executive recently told me that when, years ago, he made a bittersweet departure from his company, a colleague said, “You never really fit in, did you?” He asked me if, in my experience, leaders still tend to try to change themselves to adapt. Sadly, the answer is yes. We have only one personality, albeit complex. When reviewing personality style assessments, I will ask, “Is this an accurate description of you?” I get concerned when the reply is, “It depends. At work, I am one way and in my personal life another.” We are subjected to years of conditioning about what is expected and appropriate, and we begin to think it’s part of who we are. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
An organization whose cultural norms and standards are so rigid that people feel a need to “fit in” despite their differences does not have a healthy culture. These are usually the product of history and small group of influencers. Strong cultures are deliberately built through an examination of existing and aspirational values. And, they almost always include some aspect of creativity, innovation, and risk-taking, none of which can be achieved when we hold back who we are. Further, we know from decades of research that the most highly functioning teams have a high degree of trust among team members. That trust is achieved through authenticity. Getting to know one another on a personal basis breeds a willingness to be vulnerable and a willingness to extend positive intent to others – key factors for trusting business and personal relationships. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
Now, as many quite literally “work from home,” and all of us share a number of collective traumas, it is impossible to expect the kind of separation between our work and personal personas that has been convenient in the past. Leaders who are uninterested in the personal well-being of their employees, or are awkward in eliciting their fears, hopes, and goals, will find employees to be even more disengaged and disconnected. This relates to bias number two.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b>Bias #2 – <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk44516748">Be objective (because we’re afraid of feelings). <o:p></o:p></a></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3OkP0-FeaI9HDrabO45H1jg8wsQE9U9c1VJDYa4CpmKyjC3FbjKr2ypyvtVnD0p19ABJjP4vTJ_oQdM0bYcb6GYrdjNLW1_O7y_3du_8E7lfRgmE_bdVUpDLFZR-DdctBM02dqsDZpk/s1600/cloud+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3OkP0-FeaI9HDrabO45H1jg8wsQE9U9c1VJDYa4CpmKyjC3FbjKr2ypyvtVnD0p19ABJjP4vTJ_oQdM0bYcb6GYrdjNLW1_O7y_3du_8E7lfRgmE_bdVUpDLFZR-DdctBM02dqsDZpk/s400/cloud+3.jpg" width="400" /></a>Despite the publication of Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking work “<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-success-relationships-Discover/dp/107797213X/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=287CLPEKN7KUG&dchild=1&keywords=goleman+emotional+intelligence&qid=1593646954&sprefix=Goleman%2Caps%2C437&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRkpWRldIVEZCSU5OJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjE4NjUwMk1ITFo4Q1A0RTNRTiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODI4NDUxMlg1Wk1YRUFTOU9ZNiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU="><span style="text-decoration: none;">Emotional Intelligence</span></a>” in 1995 (that was 25 years ago), we still are not comfortable with emotion in the workplace. Yet two basic constructs for team cohesiveness – productive conflict and courageous feedback – require that we are aware of our own emotions, can identify others’, and can share and elicit feelings in a way that builds rapport and shared understanding. Leaders also are charged with setting appropriate boundaries and de-escalating conversations in which people <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/09/how-to-give-feedback-to-people-who-cry-yell-or-get-defensive">yell, cry or get defensive. <o:p></o:p></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
Whether we’re either afraid of emotion or ill-equipped to deal with it, the lack of productive conflict and feedback creates a build-up of unspoken assumptions and feelings that lead to unconscious prejudices, poorly examined decisions and less than ideal employee engagement. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
We can start with the nature of our business conversations. A team member’s “feelings” about a matter are valid and important. Team-building exercises are not trivial “touchy-feely” events. As Bradbury and Greaves state in their work “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-2-0-Travis-Bradberry/dp/0974320625/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=7JEMFY3RSFUS&dchild=1&keywords=emotional+intelligence+daniel+goleman&qid=1594672470&sprefix=emotional+intelligence%2Caps%2C231&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNE1BMDhXVU1JSDY5JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzk2MjE4M0o3WDJIUVpMTTVLMCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzg4MTkzTklFUDNBUElPMkdWJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==">Emotional Intelligence 2.0</a>,” lean into your discomfort. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<b>Bias #3 - <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk44516775">Productivity eclipses grace</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Executive coach and author John Baldoni says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-right: 40.5pt;">
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Love, sacrifice, truth, and courage are virtues made actionable by grace. We may be disposed to do what is right; grace gives us the impetus to act upon doing it. Grace then becomes the inspiration for treating individuals with generosity, respect, and compassion. It manifests itself as action in the name of others, and it energizes us to act upon our beliefs. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">I have seen more organizational leaders exhibit this type of grace in these past four months than in the past four years. And while challenging for sure, work is getting done. Customers are being served, and projects are moving forward. Yet I fear some are longing to be free of the careful consideration of what people are going through and are eager to go back to the management practices and metrics of the past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">This work and Karla’s survey are, in part, about organizational grace. Grace that’s extended to those experiencing overwhelm. Grace that’s extended if a mistake is made, a promising risk does not fulfill, or one’s behavior is momentarily less than professional. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk45811109">I personally hold a vision for a new organizational culture in which we can transform these biases. </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk44516655">In this state of “Emergent Leadership,” the outcomes include:<b><o:p></o:p></b></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->One’s value becomes aligned with their unique self, style, capability, and talents. Conscious and unconscious prejudices are examined and transformed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Valuing and growing emotional intelligence becomes a new norm. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Grace leads and productivity follows. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium;">
Please, let us not squander the opportunity before us. As leaders, we can show up authentically and reliably to help our teams navigate uncertainty, draw forth resilience from individuals, and build team cohesiveness. We can affect sustainable and positive change in organizational culture as a result of the crises at hand. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 13.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 13.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Karla<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 13.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">This Golden Opportunity<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We have this golden opportunity</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> to shape a new future, one defined by our collective crises’ needs. We will be exploring, in future articles, what more is needed. We welcome learning about any of your difficulties in supporting your own leadership…and in engaging team members during this time. We would love success stories as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 13.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 13.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">About the Authors:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="Default" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-right: 13.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla Boyd, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla Boyd PhD, a lover of animals and people, is an organizational and leadership development consultant, Equine Guided Leadership Coach, and a writer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5315402037580889614&useLegacyBlogger=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5315402037580889614&useLegacyBlogger=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5315402037580889614&useLegacyBlogger=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5315402037580889614&useLegacyBlogger=true" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In all of her work, she helps people connect with their passion more deeply. Karla inspires all to have a more intimate relationship with nature, animals and making a difference in the world, and she inspires a deepening and revitalization of loving and healing initiatives in our world. Karla has joined others in creation of innovative designs for palliative and hospice care for people and animals, honoring the dignity of all life. As founder of Namaste Global Vision, she empowers animal stewards to transform the animal steward world. She invites philanthropists to align their values with donor giving practices in intentional and dynamic ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla designs curriculum for non-profits, small businesses, and large organizations. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">She has designed and implemented comprehensive leadership development programs in diverse organizations including philanthropist and animal steward communities, created high-potential leader programs, and integrated innovative system change designs. She has worked with hundreds of leaders to improve performance and individual leadership capacity, and her many certifications include Ontological paradigms, Appreciative Inquiry, and Equine Soul of Leadership Coaching. Her blog is </span><a href="https://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Conversations with Karla</span></i></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Karla Boyd, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Founder and CEO<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Namaste Global Vision<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk45789007"></a><a href="mailto:namasteglobalvision@earthlink.net"><span style="border: none; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;">namasteglobalvision@earthlink.net</span></a><span style="border: none; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea Chilcote<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea Chilcote holds nearly three decades of experience in the organizational development coaching and consulting field. Her notable work includes enterprise-wide organizational development initiatives as well as executive coaching, partnering with executives and their teams across a variety of Fortune 500 companies and diverse business sectors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A recognized, trusted partner who gets results, Andrea focuses on client relationships</span> – <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">taking much pride in her track-record of longevity and sustainability in client connections. Her programs and methods meet leaders on their development trajectory, moving them beyond the superficial to integrated behavioral change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-right: 4.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea Chilcote<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">President & CEO<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Morningstar Ventures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="mailto:andrea@morningstarventures.com"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;">andrea@morningstarventures.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.morningstarventures.com/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;">www.morningstarventures.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="https://whatleadersneednow.com/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none;">www.whatleadersneednow.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-2227495321723078802015-02-13T08:48:00.001-08:002015-02-13T13:46:08.726-08:00SOMETIMES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://imagesus.homeaway.com/mda01/32bbb81f-8533-435b-9efc-937aaf59123b.1.10" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imagesus.homeaway.com/mda01/32bbb81f-8533-435b-9efc-937aaf59123b.1.10" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
This poem is lovingly dedicated to my dog-niece, Zoey, who was everything wonderful about snow ... and life. She loved everyone lavishly and had a soulful exuberance to life that is missed by all of us. There was and there will always be one Zoey Girl. Her passing took our breath away, just like snow sometimes does as it falls.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes<br />
<br />
When<br />
I write poetry<br />
I forget it is one digit writing<br />
From my good hand.<br />
<br />
I don't hear radios or tvs<br />
Or the groaning in the house.<br />
<br />
I sometimes remember snow<br />
As it drifts outside<br />
My window.<br />
Little white flurries flicker<br />
Across the periphery<br />
Of my eye<br />
While Chance sniffs<br />
My hoodie.<br />
<br />
Washing machine chugs along.<br />
<br />
And yet there is a stillness,<br />
A certain silence in the house,<br />
Zoey, in reflection, at the top of the stairs,<br />
One eye ready to open if a sound comes near.<br />
Others off to work and school<br />
Tire prints fresh in snow.<br />
<br />
I sometimes remember snow<br />
And lying face down in it.<br />
<br />
S u d d e n l y<br />
Then my world changed<br />
Red bleeding into white<br />
A dramatic interlude.<br />
<br />
Sometimes I remember that.<br />
<br />
Mainly, I feel the snow<br />
Outside the window<br />
The snow that recently left,<br />
Melted.<br />
<br />
Or fresh puffs, white powder promise<br />
For thirsty lakes, parched from dry spells.<br />
<br />
Sometimes I remember snow, snow balls and snow people,<br />
Scooping up fresh snowy heaps<br />
Glistening in sun<br />
Snow flurry pilings<br />
That our dog did not find.<br />
<br />
Placed gently in a bowl, adding Hersey's<br />
Chocolate, eating snow blizzards, <br />
Laughing with others<br />
Teeth chattering, cold and wet under<br />
Coats and gloves.<br />
<br />
I remember snow...<br />
<br />
First ski attempts, floundering,<br />
Collapsing in a snowy white mass,<br />
Giggling, soaked and soggy<br />
Falling again and again<br />
Slipping and sliding<br />
Sometimes on the<br />
Hand held ski tow<br />
That pulls you way up<br />
As you Lean Way Back<br />
It's nothing like riding a horse!<br />
<br />
Reaching the summit<br />
In my case sometimes,<br />
Less than my friends,<br />
Pros at laughter<br />
And scant snowy tumbles.<br />
<br />
Red fire logs burning,<br />
In Ski Lodge Paradise.<br />
Hot chocolate never<br />
Tasted so good.<br />
<br />
Yet never missing it when I left.<br />
<br />
Though Snow makes for pretty pictures,<br />
Snow Angels,<br />
Laughter with nieces, <br />
Funny snow people with carrot noses,<br />
Joy with<br />
Puppies and dogs<br />
As they run astonished,<br />
In Snowy cold satisfaction,<br />
Up hilly mounds and down,<br />
Legs nearly buried as they plow through.<br />
<br />
Zoey standing outside in cooling snow<br />
Flurries, licking snow patches<br />
Now and again<br />
With her tongue.<br />
<br />
Standing vigil as her mother drives away.<br />
<br />
Snow takes your breath<br />
Away<br />
Like now<br />
When She falls,<br />
Flitters, swirls,<br />
And flirts<br />
Carpeting Mother Earth.<br />
<br />
Sun, Occasional Blue Sky,<br />
And Puff Cotton Clouds Sigh<br />
In Reverent Mountain Chants.<br />
<br />
Snow twitters, mummers and purrs<br />
Still falling gently.<br />
<br />
Sunshine bursts through happy<br />
With one hand clapping.<br />
<br />
Pine needles glisten,<br />
Mirroring Sunlight.<br />
Bright Happiness giggles.<br />
<br />
Mountain stands steady,<br />
Enjoying Creation<br />
As the Sun Kissed Snowy<br />
Carpet dozes all around.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.judywalkervet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/snow-prints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.judywalkervet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/snow-prints.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-45006954129813992082015-01-31T10:55:00.002-08:002015-02-01T13:36:45.270-08:00HOW DO YOU SAY GOOD-BYE IN THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.hayneedle.com/mgen/imagebywidth.ms?w=500&minh=300&maxh=600&img=master:QM017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.hayneedle.com/mgen/imagebywidth.ms?w=500&minh=300&maxh=600&img=master:QM017.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can,<br />
not only to help you die peacefully, but to help you live until you die.<br />
Dame Cicely Saunders<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">HOW DO YOU SAY GOOD-BYE IN THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE?</span><br />
<br />
Everybody adored my grandfather. Full of love, still waters running deep; he made me laugh. That is, until the last stage of his life.<br />
<br />
His doctor gave him three months to live. He told him he needed a year. Shortly after Christmas in January, just after that year, he entered the hospital.<br />
<br />
Our family had been summoned. We approached the hospital elevator. “No one under 12 is allowed in the critical care unit,” the sign read. My parents told my youngest sister that she could not visit. My father would stay with her. Later, I would relieve him.<br />
<br />
I saw the crushed look on her face. It haunted me all the way up the elevator and down the long, dark corridors. I watched my other sister tremble as we neared his room.<br />
<br />
Our grandfather met our gaze. His sunny smile greeted us. Protruding tubes were out of place on a body that had always been a call to comfort others with hugs. Delighted to see him, we smiled and rushed to hug him anyway...taking care, as much as teenagers can. Dying did not seem present. Love was. Once engaged, we stepped back and met his eyes. Where’s Sam? I flinched as our mother told him that she would not be coming. Wendy looked down at her shoes.<br />
<br />
Our mother left to get water for him. Though not groomed to be friends, my sister and I shot each other a glance. A plan was made.<br />
<br />
“Did you see the stairs outside his room?” My sister said, “Yes.” “I am going to run down and get Samantha. We’ll run upstairs and be back before there’s trouble.” My sister lit up. My grandfather gave us each a conspiratorial look.<br />
<br />
Downstairs, I said I would stay with Samantha. Not exactly a lie. I waited until the elevator closed and asked, “Do you want to see Grandpa?” An emphatic nod ushered a beaming smile across Samantha’s face. “Then grab my hand.” We sprinted up the stairs that opened only two doors away from my grandfather’s room. Inside, my grandfather’s body heaved a sigh of relief. Samantha was doe-eyed with wonder. She was so happy to see him and he laughed upon seeing her.<br />
<br />
Moments later my father entered. No scene, no drama. My grandfather had a calming effect on my parents. Today was no exception. The love between a grandfather and his granddaughters was so overflowing that the promise of an enduring connection, transcending all, would remain.<br />
<br />
Two days later, we learned that our grandfather had just died.<br />
<br />
It brought such joy, that ending revolution; living close to the edge of intimacy as it unfurled, sharing our last goodbyes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KenT_z7VgiH7umdYVk3cQ4wcPFWIsJl9CpUS83D84WgncPxHhaiuDovMJhn22uME09rpiD-C9AH_biCz0U08KvHp8I8iYiU-hUmUJTd1GWeLTU8suF953KujRnpz8Wtbl9nFjIHrx1k/s1600/040206_cold_rain_550c.jpgbw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KenT_z7VgiH7umdYVk3cQ4wcPFWIsJl9CpUS83D84WgncPxHhaiuDovMJhn22uME09rpiD-C9AH_biCz0U08KvHp8I8iYiU-hUmUJTd1GWeLTU8suF953KujRnpz8Wtbl9nFjIHrx1k/s1600/040206_cold_rain_550c.jpgbw.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-89015921203413151632015-01-14T11:38:00.000-08:002015-01-31T14:44:08.429-08:00WATCHING SNOW MELT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Watching Snow Melt</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://jessgibbsphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/mountainous_and_rocky_landscape_around_lake_with_pine_trees_and_fresh_snow_in_afternoon_light.jpg?236d10" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://jessgibbsphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/mountainous_and_rocky_landscape_around_lake_with_pine_trees_and_fresh_snow_in_afternoon_light.jpg?236d10" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I lie here in bed<br />
<br />
Cast heavy on</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Arm and wrist</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Resting on the pillow</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That covers my heart</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I lie here in bed over</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
These long slow days</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Watching snow melt</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Snow melts in whimpers</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
On foggy chill days</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Like yesterday</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Today the sun has peeked</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In and out<br />
Caressing the pines</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Snow slightly murmurs</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Warm wafting through<br />
<br />
Mountain changes daily</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Much like my hurt tired limbs</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Snow daily is less full of</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Puffed arched pilings</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Now she is</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Scantly cladding gray rocks</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Brown needle risings</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
With dusty</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
salt sprinkles confused</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Looking back at me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pines Trees</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Still thirsty from their</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Parched hopeful days<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There were no snow dripping pines</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Or rivelets trickling down the mounds</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mysterious this</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Watching snow melt</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As it goes away from</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Itself cold and glistening</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Into white cloud trailings</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lingering tentatively on<br />
The ground<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-35904789228192833282014-12-19T07:00:00.000-08:002014-12-19T07:00:08.126-08:00LIVING ON FAITH IS MY GROWING EDGE<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXLix0WXiQEHEnWwGYJLZBBDxLWVHtTt_khEUnjYLhsedVhJjiKOTGtY1kkyFyIOUzNLczi-UqEaVygu9m6KPl1tAgqwEIrlyRbankGHyLJO7kb9hXGpgZw8-vRjhX_nN3aOhXqoGssM/s1600/10849967_10152962865505850_4241144789280557263_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXLix0WXiQEHEnWwGYJLZBBDxLWVHtTt_khEUnjYLhsedVhJjiKOTGtY1kkyFyIOUzNLczi-UqEaVygu9m6KPl1tAgqwEIrlyRbankGHyLJO7kb9hXGpgZw8-vRjhX_nN3aOhXqoGssM/s1600/10849967_10152962865505850_4241144789280557263_n.jpg" height="400" width="398" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you change the thought, your reality must follow. You have the ability</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to quickly change your patterns of thought, and eventually your life experience.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/journal.php?moneyquotes" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Abe Hicks</span></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3108067e-5f15-21a5-150f-fbc5070e833f" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I woke up this morning, my first thought was how happy I was to be all snuggled in and warm. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My second thoughts were ones that Einstein assures me cannot be solved </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“with the same thinking that created them.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Often, I kick out those negative thoughts. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But this morning, and only for seconds, I dipped into thinking about a personal issue that created results I didn’t want. A second thought crashed in about a friend’s trouble. Following was concern for a global event.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That train of bad thinking was sending me off the rails before I even climbed out of bed. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s how the train of unwanted thoughts creates situations </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WE DON’T WANT.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> That </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I DON’T WANT.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many of you can relate?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://alchemylab.com/seven_day_mental_diet.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Promptly, I kicked out that train of thoughts.</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I realigned with Spirit and my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faith in Spirit.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I am perfectly aligned”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a great affirmation.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbydRG3J53wuzNILDKLmnCnuuwMTfOARvKr4Hg5jiHmBodecQDB7AC880bW2qlmNUkfXToWrASOGGPM-QQYDvfjbMJEVcF_bLn0sK8k1Mi91RUTXnhA5iLog4TrQ_sVkdPR8jrSlnKwI/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbydRG3J53wuzNILDKLmnCnuuwMTfOARvKr4Hg5jiHmBodecQDB7AC880bW2qlmNUkfXToWrASOGGPM-QQYDvfjbMJEVcF_bLn0sK8k1Mi91RUTXnhA5iLog4TrQ_sVkdPR8jrSlnKwI/s1600/imgres.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I intentionally thought of five happy events. I watched my </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">worry</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> pack her bags and leave. I repeated my affirmations. I remembered things working out. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I took a breath.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sent love and mantrams to me, my friends, and to the global community. I thought positive thoughts. Realigned, I sighed. Here, at midday, things are in flow and alignment. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LIVING ON FAITH IS MY GROWING EDGE.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently, I’ve done inner work, cleaning out yesterday’s negativity. My new inner life is transforming my outer one. I still need, on occasion, to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">keep faith</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that the changes not yet here </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ARE coming</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s my growing edge. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FAITH BELIEVES IN WHAT’S YET TO BE SEEN. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I once </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“talked”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a disabled, abandoned VW bus into running. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I then went on a 515-mile road trip. That same year my partner, a friend, and I were waiting to board a plane. From our stopover in Dallas, our friend, Jean, would fly to New York for the holidays. My partner and I were flying to my sister’s wedding. We had three hours once the plane landed to arrive at the church. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;">The announcement blared out: </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">“Due to storms, this flight may be delayed.”</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"> Jean was thrilled. She was frightened of flying and hoped the flight would be cancelled. I strolled over to the desk attendant for a chat. </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Yes, cancelling the flight WAS a possibility</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">. </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">No, no other flights would get me to the wedding on time.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SPIRIT WANTS US HAPPY AND TO SUCCEED. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaDGceqIbyrcRX2kOGVhXNHq3TTOnG-aM4vaVMOD701F_griismQKa6ksK_JmgEOervS9-Wtpw0HFmVQiUYVTH-D2uaVNwZ5kkcO7Yl3d3xOyyjMzZLXdXp_s7aZhkgy9eMPSOi2Lodg/s1600/1505516_682931371805374_158457514800065352_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaDGceqIbyrcRX2kOGVhXNHq3TTOnG-aM4vaVMOD701F_griismQKa6ksK_JmgEOervS9-Wtpw0HFmVQiUYVTH-D2uaVNwZ5kkcO7Yl3d3xOyyjMzZLXdXp_s7aZhkgy9eMPSOi2Lodg/s1600/1505516_682931371805374_158457514800065352_n.jpg" height="198" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I took another stroll around the area. I quieted my pounding heart. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could not let my sister down.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I was a Bridesmaid. I asked Spirit what to do. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a breath. See you arriving on time, safely. Breathe. Sit down. Keep the Faith. Lean into Faith.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another announcement came: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This flight might be cancelled.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Jean was giddy. I quietly closed my eyes. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIEZUic63lRZiGzl4UtklC737ANcWch92g52IH4f_Oa6AfLPz3R3RlWii0zq0lL6POnSP8j3WngPpZhuqU8tp2pWiQMrmt-qykOdvY9k8GpVOlRYf-5fCHRLhe9iJpUoMmZU2nPOrFvo/s1600/10392548_839191072788872_2704740204855315507_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIEZUic63lRZiGzl4UtklC737ANcWch92g52IH4f_Oa6AfLPz3R3RlWii0zq0lL6POnSP8j3WngPpZhuqU8tp2pWiQMrmt-qykOdvY9k8GpVOlRYf-5fCHRLhe9iJpUoMmZU2nPOrFvo/s1600/10392548_839191072788872_2704740204855315507_n.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
We were told to get on board three minutes before the decision to cancel the flight was to be announced. SHAZAM! The Universe OPENED the Gate. <br />
<div class="p1">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LIVING ON FAITH is a practice. WHEN was the last time you LIVED ON FAITH, dear Reader?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
</div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-72594428470613143042014-12-12T07:00:00.000-08:002014-12-18T10:17:37.719-08:00CHRISTMAS IS A SPIRIT THAT LIVES IN MY HEART<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRsjlCPRfsS6LkvmhZwu1YNUL8Qx4oD1phINrqI3HbC7-eTMbOQlAtz4N5j12ChKkMxByhJjJTRNnL-IP-xhozl4o7quPWQblY388aidS_6O86XeUSM8hgUM7DjIGHhKY8WAIG6u6bkc/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRsjlCPRfsS6LkvmhZwu1YNUL8Qx4oD1phINrqI3HbC7-eTMbOQlAtz4N5j12ChKkMxByhJjJTRNnL-IP-xhozl4o7quPWQblY388aidS_6O86XeUSM8hgUM7DjIGHhKY8WAIG6u6bkc/s1600/imgres.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Christmas spirit — love — changes hearts and lives.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i> Pat Boone</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="p1">
Christmas is a Spirit that lives in my heart. This past weekend I ate pie, shared stories, and wrote holiday cards with a dear friend.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
We’ve shared this tradition of writing holiday cards over the years. But we also shared it often as three people. Robert was with us then. A year ago Robert passed on to that other shore.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Marie and Robert were married for fifty years. It would have been too abrupt to write holiday cards without first hearing Marie’s <i>Robert poems</i>, <i>Marie’s and Robert’s Warp and Woof poems</i> or <i>Marie’s sojourn into new life.</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Marie’s poems emerge from the bone and marrow of her soul. My heart gasps with Robert being invoked again as a living, breathing presence. He is gone...and not gone...as Marie invites in a new relatedness with her world.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzuOmxZKO-GUo20q-ITAR6fIXs9cY8Lh8E6F5lsZFYAOEfeTqcq7ELWMYBPtM7x87F5SfZ_c7byhxGLjIrv2F9Yn3ap59uvp8hC07jILdMx_S41n-phUpkZY_jLrRF9WwFjRXCFVsUVs/s1600/IMG_9337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzuOmxZKO-GUo20q-ITAR6fIXs9cY8Lh8E6F5lsZFYAOEfeTqcq7ELWMYBPtM7x87F5SfZ_c7byhxGLjIrv2F9Yn3ap59uvp8hC07jILdMx_S41n-phUpkZY_jLrRF9WwFjRXCFVsUVs/s1600/IMG_9337.JPG" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo By Karla Boyd</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="p1">
At a particular rock and tree formation, Marie shared a special ‘Robert moment’. That was on our first walk. On other walks, we wended around trails and marveled at <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.nps.gov/goga/historyculture/adolph-sutro.htm">Sutro baths and Golden Gate Park gardens</a></span>. On our last day, we delighted in seeing double crested Cormorants, a Brown Pelican; we shared secrets and sighed at the burnt orange sunset as the golden sun dropped into the ocean.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS59yhXMTely_91rfP_y74QGMM4OKfCt_WKah4VRNnu5KheG7Jabsq2EIOjS5bE-M_KC73qS3nS4sTflFh3RJ8lOTkTDWISAkr9kc6h8KMS3gZkLQ3l0ubkHS3UAmN6t-J0I-2VfRSao/s1600/IMG_9341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS59yhXMTely_91rfP_y74QGMM4OKfCt_WKah4VRNnu5KheG7Jabsq2EIOjS5bE-M_KC73qS3nS4sTflFh3RJ8lOTkTDWISAkr9kc6h8KMS3gZkLQ3l0ubkHS3UAmN6t-J0I-2VfRSao/s1600/IMG_9341.JPG" height="111" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo By Karla Boyd</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This past weekend, our conversations teetered at the edge of vulnerable intersections, and stumbled into unchartered waters and engaged Process as if a She. It's as if a<i> Presence, a Soft Feminine Presence that lives within us all</i>, called us out from mundane familiarity into embryonic encounters that engage a deeper flow with life. We opened more in its unfamiliarity. We are, to borrow Marie’s words, <i>finding our place</i></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>in the flow, the every moving piecing together, coming together,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>of things in their own way, in their own time, reassuring,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>sustaining and satisfying.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="p1">
Holiday cards finished, we sit at Marie’s dining room table as the last wisps of sunset become dusk. With the lights not turned on, we encounter a quieting intimacy.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WZeffrlk32lOyfsf7EAg7e9dr9sddg4o2onoUkv8cM4POuHlW-tgp7iD7ztdXNU3iuA2bE6JaGtY-zysRm-dhLKnbwhmn0VExRImbA6p47QcriKyE3P45GURF7fqgMEOVdEuqNYM_JA/s1600/IMG_9365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WZeffrlk32lOyfsf7EAg7e9dr9sddg4o2onoUkv8cM4POuHlW-tgp7iD7ztdXNU3iuA2bE6JaGtY-zysRm-dhLKnbwhmn0VExRImbA6p47QcriKyE3P45GURF7fqgMEOVdEuqNYM_JA/s1600/IMG_9365.JPG" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Photo By Karla Boyd</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“Today, I realize how much of your careful arrangement of everything reminds me of my grandmother.”</i> Christmas Spirit has engaged Marie and I all weekend. Christmas Spirit: <i>A LOVING Presence unfolding warming encounters in soft, sparkling radiance.</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“I felt Christmas Spirit when I was with my grandparents,”</i> I say near the end of Marie’s and my time together. When I was five, seven and ten, alone or with a friend, spending a week with my grandparents in the summer, Christmas was there.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
When alone, I’d sit at the breakfast table with my grandparents. After eating, Goldie would ask, <i>“What do you want to do today?” </i>Christmas Spirit lived in the ordinary way we designed a trip to the local swimming pool; or travels anywhere with my grandfather when my grandmother needed some solitude. It lived in my walking alone to the corner store to buy dinner preparations.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVgWWcLwGmyNLXjjq_0tfkCfhJcjYuqoWsINb_3XxM-BeBf69-TopPlF-PRbrLVgdRRo1BzrOy0mQe9FVtyydIN59QFMB5QUQXEGOrjp3mgZduxC7Mlt8CnnwJxdC8l4CfKr2yEq8_2s/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVgWWcLwGmyNLXjjq_0tfkCfhJcjYuqoWsINb_3XxM-BeBf69-TopPlF-PRbrLVgdRRo1BzrOy0mQe9FVtyydIN59QFMB5QUQXEGOrjp3mgZduxC7Mlt8CnnwJxdC8l4CfKr2yEq8_2s/s1600/images-2.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
That common conversation of three souls unfolding our day never let us down.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My grandmother’s hearing was impaired when she was three years old. On occasion, my grandparents sat on their front porch rocking. <i>“Karl, what’s that sound,” </i>she’d ask. “<i>Oh, don’t get excited, it’s just the kids climbing out the bedroom window onto the roof, listening to our conversation.”</i> We’d scramble back into the room. I can still hear my grandfather’s laughter.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My grandmother and I would sit in a swing on the side porch, my bare feet bouncing off the wall of the church next door. My grandmother never meddled but was interested in everything I said. We spoke of simple things in the most extraordinary way.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Close to dinner, my grandfather conspiratorially called me into the pantry room. He’d reach into the cupboard and pull out sugary orange slice wedges. <i>“Don’t tell your grandmother, now.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Christmas is a Spirit that lives in my heart. It’s evoked every time a moment is freed into life’s deep rhythm. It’s an everyday, ordinary time made sacred.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtfd8t0DWqumxdV6kOr9BKKWWREPkAAjQVU4lcyMaUpQB7IFaCAmZF4dGjDos6Jg2FSc-3xC5a-sxvm5IEytXPk7J_kA7VA3HmJcS09x2e6hDasM0u8WjBOXkODD-pBYxrFiyPaMhaGY/s1600/imgres-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtfd8t0DWqumxdV6kOr9BKKWWREPkAAjQVU4lcyMaUpQB7IFaCAmZF4dGjDos6Jg2FSc-3xC5a-sxvm5IEytXPk7J_kA7VA3HmJcS09x2e6hDasM0u8WjBOXkODD-pBYxrFiyPaMhaGY/s1600/imgres-2.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>What about you, dear Reader, have you discovered Christmas Spirit living in your heart?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-58877413607197060962014-12-05T10:21:00.000-08:002014-12-05T10:23:57.378-08:00LETTING MY HEART LEAD THE WAY<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i></i></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSBIETKHj16XdTcWGBJ1NucvtQrtTIyEUrlF8iqWgGwqH2YspHk6bPaYsA9VsDI6C4KlcIfz4fHWryeLDvxWoPfkIUDkbcOUQheVwPXf-2RqWy0NkIC-Y4Xj6S84OA5CkGZyDVeSxZUs/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSBIETKHj16XdTcWGBJ1NucvtQrtTIyEUrlF8iqWgGwqH2YspHk6bPaYsA9VsDI6C4KlcIfz4fHWryeLDvxWoPfkIUDkbcOUQheVwPXf-2RqWy0NkIC-Y4Xj6S84OA5CkGZyDVeSxZUs/s1600/images.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We know a great deal about what leaders do and how they do it. But we know very little </span></i><br />
<div class="p1">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"> about </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;">the inner place, the source from which they operate. And it is this source that </span></span></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"> "Theory U" attempts</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"> to explore. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;">When leaders develop the capacity to come near to</span></span></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"> that source, they experience the future </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;">as if it were "wanting to be born" - an </span></span></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"> experience called "presencing." That experience often carries </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555;">with it ideas for </span></span></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> meeting challenges and for bringing into being an otherwise impossible future.</i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<i style="color: #555555; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Otto Scharmer author of <a href="http://www.ottoscharmer.com/publications/summaries.php"><u>Theory U</u> and <u>Leading From The Emerging Future</u></a></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ti6wGuzAo53EZOvCbL0LP-N_7lwkjFUBS7ebKx4XRztgctW8el-pQ4wj3_IJktYNu5LAsDJSNVy-ldwOf2NdSFUfwcUBcaH9G2IC37QNqWCUuv-ZhReSpJ9yB_ZgWVusSTuO3RTv1ns/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ti6wGuzAo53EZOvCbL0LP-N_7lwkjFUBS7ebKx4XRztgctW8el-pQ4wj3_IJktYNu5LAsDJSNVy-ldwOf2NdSFUfwcUBcaH9G2IC37QNqWCUuv-ZhReSpJ9yB_ZgWVusSTuO3RTv1ns/s1600/images-1.jpeg" height="200" width="179" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This morning I told a friend, <i>“I need to get off the phone and let my Muse show me my next blog. I’ve no idea where it’s coming from." </i>This year’s sojourn has been about what Otto Scharmer calls <i>"<span class="s1">letting come an emergent</span> future."</i> </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It’s quite the adventure living into this freedom. It's about breaking the chains of traditional thinking. It's about trusting my heart to lead me. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURFQKERy_GMTyDo6LGwEtqpoN-eSpwoJUXCDg2uKRjd0K92WSL0ib0m071zV9eu3DifJ9dbCzcJxxX05ies-Y4rDw6OXiG7IvPaWXbJlUuf-KM9ug-j6xslnMNr_UNbZfO6LwNkVjdLs/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURFQKERy_GMTyDo6LGwEtqpoN-eSpwoJUXCDg2uKRjd0K92WSL0ib0m071zV9eu3DifJ9dbCzcJxxX05ies-Y4rDw6OXiG7IvPaWXbJlUuf-KM9ug-j6xslnMNr_UNbZfO6LwNkVjdLs/s1600/images-1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Some of my most life-altering moments have been when I let my heart lead the way. Since I was a child, I always wanted to be near chimpanzees. I shared this one day in a group. Well someone knew someone who had recently gone to a chimpanzee sanctuary in the United States. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>"Oh, boy."</i> </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
A phone call later, I was speaking with a woman thought to be the sanctuary founder. Turns out she wasn't in charge of a sanctuary at all. She arranged African Safaris.<i>"Had she ever arranged a trip to a chimp sanctuary?" Well, yes she had.</i> </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
That's how I found myself on a plane to Zambia, Africa, the home of <a href="http://www.chimfunshi.de/chimfunshi/geschichte/?lang=en">Chimfunshi</a>. <i>Talk about experiencing a future "waiting to be born." </i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xmXKSfs9YcBp6TfRx5ecywy8Cl9448zO-JzyMLD8U9y6uZrevoR1eYll3m-ehv8W2labPRffi55Ox_Z7wQZ2z_i2O8um-L5mmnowIlSyw2n7Io6laO4C-E2iT1cEGP3gQu5QTEe9f0E/s1600/dsc_0237-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xmXKSfs9YcBp6TfRx5ecywy8Cl9448zO-JzyMLD8U9y6uZrevoR1eYll3m-ehv8W2labPRffi55Ox_Z7wQZ2z_i2O8um-L5mmnowIlSyw2n7Io6laO4C-E2iT1cEGP3gQu5QTEe9f0E/s1600/dsc_0237-1.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelia Siddle with an orphaned chimp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
With nothing more than their heart’s dedication, the <a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/In_My_Family_Tree.html?id=7EwRo4JoFtgC">Siddles</a> created <span class="s1">the largest Chimpanzee Sanctuary </span>in the world. Inspired and on fire, I saw my new future birthing before me as I hung out with the chimps. I saw the Siddle's sheer innovation, freshness and native leadership.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoX6cyHF1TX_FqbT7ol0MZPGZQJ0E024iHelZWYivQ4w_E47qimIeyQAvYYeChZJDYV1JAuUpkPmjRJD3IWJvjO6cPHGuSUymNkFtOuQXQq20wRDuLZhQs7qwWNUaoCMp-nX8NjetPuc8/s1600/Scan8_0012_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoX6cyHF1TX_FqbT7ol0MZPGZQJ0E024iHelZWYivQ4w_E47qimIeyQAvYYeChZJDYV1JAuUpkPmjRJD3IWJvjO6cPHGuSUymNkFtOuQXQq20wRDuLZhQs7qwWNUaoCMp-nX8NjetPuc8/s1600/Scan8_0012_2.jpg" height="320" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chimfunshi chimps; photo by Karla Boyd</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I had listened for years to the suffering of animal rescue workers: they were burnt-out and in need of new ways. In Africa, I saw how to move beyond the old paradigms that perpetuate more suffering. On that auspicious journey, I was called to offer leadership development work into the animal steward community upon my return to the states. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="s1">Last week, I wrote a blog, <i><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/11/change-your-vibration-and-then-tell-me.html">Change Your Vibration And Tell Me What You Want.</a></i> It's a request to publish positive media images and share what IS working. It's what made the Siddles natural leaders. It's what let me trust my heart and get on a plane to Africa. </span></div>
<div>
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div>
After I hung up the phone with my friend, a rainbow appeared on my walk. Back home, leaning into the unknown, I found myself opening to a link about positive news stories.<span class="s1"> </span>Harmonyfund.org and Laura Simpson's<span class="s1"> </span><a href="http://harmonyfund.org/about-us/our-founder"><span class="s1">“Unique Blue Sky Approach</span>”</a> caught my eye. In perfect synch with last week 's blog message were these words:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> We do not expose our supporters to graphic photos of animal suffering or distribute</span></i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> dire forecasts about animal suffering. Instead we focus on a spirit of joy and </span></i></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> determination </i><i>as we pursue essential operations to provide food, veterinary medicine, </i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> shelter and </i><i>protection from cruelty for animals worldwide.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQGlcFoHQfVrcizgRoMZkIclQwsjkFN-OmGGJwD4RK5OQC_sUOIK4AjwvlfSU8OLeFbeFsVlUiBvEjtdScXHR9gVVoix3ExmDd8FvEDiyZSY5Gbi44f9XONbGjYn2oEY1tgNu9t_q_G0/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQGlcFoHQfVrcizgRoMZkIclQwsjkFN-OmGGJwD4RK5OQC_sUOIK4AjwvlfSU8OLeFbeFsVlUiBvEjtdScXHR9gVVoix3ExmDd8FvEDiyZSY5Gbi44f9XONbGjYn2oEY1tgNu9t_q_G0/s1600/images-1.jpg" height="252" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harmony Fund photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p2">
That is how I believe we move into our best futures ... <i>flowing with the threads of where our hearts are leading us. </i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>So when, dear Reader, did you last follow your heart? </i></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-14698071996576999172014-11-28T11:37:00.000-08:002014-11-28T13:11:21.763-08:00CHANGE YOUR VIBRATION AND THEN TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Already this season, I have requests to lift spirits.</div>
<div class="p1">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2m9OuiBu0sTRFf0Bfw6vC9n8PCv920VcXHQFKlHNtTwZtGivPJ3tDC_Gz7p35wMVyl9zCBV5ww_7AJtp2a2jFo4y9btNswJ3QLTRMhxyDQtWyiygrHDL0WaZs3v7dZsMSNsRENynctBg/s1600/imgres-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2m9OuiBu0sTRFf0Bfw6vC9n8PCv920VcXHQFKlHNtTwZtGivPJ3tDC_Gz7p35wMVyl9zCBV5ww_7AJtp2a2jFo4y9btNswJ3QLTRMhxyDQtWyiygrHDL0WaZs3v7dZsMSNsRENynctBg/s1600/imgres-7.jpg" height="310" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
Everybody needs love and encouragement. It’s not the negative news, pictures or reporting that inspires us to respond to world pain. <a href="http://www.one-mind-one-energy.com/Law-of-vibration.html"><span class="s1">But positive vibrations </span>do</a>.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<a href="http://www.ilchi.com/projects/">Be a bringer of hope<span class="s2">.</span></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
Inspired and soulful inquiries move conversations forward. Moving the conversation forward means speaking into community when your contribution inspires the learning environment. <span class="s1"><a href="http://namasteglobalvision.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NamasteDeclaringNewFuture-3%20copy.pdf">Lifting vibrations and aligning </a></span>moves the conversation forward.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Old worldviews are problem-based with uninspired, and even toxic, vibrations. Humans resort to scarcity and fear-based thinking. Negative speech and dissecting issues brings the conversation down ...<i> and us along with it.</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Three days ago, a friend on Facebook posted on her timeline: <i>“I’m leaving Facebook. I can’t stand all these awful images.</i>” Putting up <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/apr/12/news-is-bad-rolf-dobelli">awful images on Linkedin, Facebook and in the media news</a> </span>shuts down inspiration and positive energy that could make a difference.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
One person wrote in response to our friend leaving:</div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="color: #10131b; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="color: #10131b; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i> Posting horrible things is unnecessary to get the people who will help, </i></span><br />
<span style="color: #10131b; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i> to
help. </i></span><i style="color: #10131b; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And shock value of horrendous photos is not going to get the </i><br />
<i style="color: #10131b; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> people who
are</i><i style="color: #10131b; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> not already helping, to help.</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="color: #10131b; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i> MaryGaye LeBoeuf</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131b;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> </i></span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/marygaye?fref=ufi"><b><span style="color: #274887; font-family: Helvetica; text-decoration: none;"><i></i></span></b></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L4rsEpTVizFe8KnhGmEXw9x92dzq3Pp5JdWrlT-xM5BLGh192Z_Xfds-XJXK4nE4le3s8fCb0HU6ghzILLZZltYbjmi7yo4YvMKwldhKCWtKqZL_zpqJLA1kn8qKZ7wEoynMGbSy3wM/s1600/imgres-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L4rsEpTVizFe8KnhGmEXw9x92dzq3Pp5JdWrlT-xM5BLGh192Z_Xfds-XJXK4nE4le3s8fCb0HU6ghzILLZZltYbjmi7yo4YvMKwldhKCWtKqZL_zpqJLA1kn8qKZ7wEoynMGbSy3wM/s1600/imgres-10.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a>Old belief systems are dying out. Yet, there is still controversy about what creates positive change. I believe that MaryGaye is right; <i>shock value</i> does not motivate us to create positive change. <a href="http://namasteglobalvision.org/mission.html">Namaste Global Vision's</a> ten years of research in the animal steward field suggests the same. There's a lot of despair, anger and burn-out in the animal steward field ... <i><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141003204949-148869472-shifting-breakdowns-into-positive-learning-communities?trk=prof-post">and a lot of negative results</a></i>. </div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>If you don’t do this by tonight.....it will be the end. </i>This isn’t a message of hope. Nor does it inspire. When I get one of these Facebook messages, I have a sinking feeling; I have heart palpitations. I have to stop and do intentional work to re-align my vibrational field before I can move into a positive place...<i>before I am RELIABLE to make a difference</i>.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><span style="color: blue;"><b>FIRST CHANGE YOUR VIBRATION AND THEN TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!</b></span></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Noeline McManaway has been helping people for years to lift their vibrational field, transforming negative issues. She offers a rich perspective:</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Once we get into our aligned positive beneficial space then we have that field </i><i>of </i><i>positive energy going out for</i><i> someone else to pick up on. When we are </i><i>depressed </i><i>and in that negative state, someone</i><i> already</i><i> with that tendency </i><i>picks up </i><i>on that </i><i>and </i><i>they</i><i> get more depressed. When </i><i>we're <a href="http://www.sheldrake.org/Articles&Papers/papers/morphic/morphic_intro.html">happy and </a></i><a href="http://www.sheldrake.org/Articles&Papers/papers/morphic/morphic_intro.html"><i>aligned</i><i> that energy goes </i><i>out </i><i>to </i><i>anyone who can</i><i> benefit from it</i></a><i>.</i> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZZ2j2Q0ym0ZNxxFg-jn-JvJ_uazXFN8-rrCbOt-3KijiBQsWH1fJWiZfqPxai9ioMn04zB2dOV8apg4oa-uVG3K5-Pu5pZ5KAar2B-d4R5pg9h2lKEY7tufun55ap2Eh3doEghGNJ1k/s1600/imgres-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZZ2j2Q0ym0ZNxxFg-jn-JvJ_uazXFN8-rrCbOt-3KijiBQsWH1fJWiZfqPxai9ioMn04zB2dOV8apg4oa-uVG3K5-Pu5pZ5KAar2B-d4R5pg9h2lKEY7tufun55ap2Eh3doEghGNJ1k/s1600/imgres-8.jpg" height="274" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
We all NEED to SEE what is WORKING, be inspired, and buoyed up. We need positive images. Years ago, part of my job was to consult with leaders of halfway houses: homes for women re-entering society after long bouts of drug abuse. Lenore, Director of one of these programs, ALWAYS met me at the door saying: <i>“Tell me something good.” </i>She was drowning in a sea of sorrow. She counted on me to tell her what was working!</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Scientific research demonstrates that what we focus on expands. Focus on the negative and negative outcomes grow. Focus on positive inquiries and positive outcomes flourish. Appreciative Inquiry, an organizational leadership process, teaches that asking the right questions allows the pathway for positive results to open up.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“Many well intentioned teams have <span class="s1"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=VJqvEcEJyKEC&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2&dq=AI+ASKING+THE+RIGHT+QUESTION+EXAMPLES&source=bl&ots=D3QsRI_KEq&sig=fY9JvNJ8r2TobS54sJ55jQV0SVA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zgFtVMecBNLroATM4oKYDg&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=AI%20ASKING%20THE%20RIGHT%20QUESTION%20EXAMPLES&f=false">abandoned problem-solving projects</a> </span>because the weight of the problem was too much to bear,” David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva write.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<a href="http://www.oandp.com/resources/projects/appreciative_inquiry.pdf">Appreciative Inquiry Organizational Change Model</a> <span class="s2">teaches that positive interviews create positive futures. The key is first to </span><a href="http://www.manataka.org/page1428.html">change your vibrational field</a> <span class="s2">and THEN <a href="http://ww2.unhabitat.org/programmes/hiv/documents/magic_power.pdf">f</a></span><a href="http://ww2.unhabitat.org/programmes/hiv/documents/magic_power.pdf">ocus on what you want</a><span class="s2">.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
Wild Horses are in the news recently. If I used a problem-based approach, I might ask someone:</div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“What is your systematic approach to save wild horses before it’s totally too late?”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It generates scarcity consciousness. It suggests nothing CAN be done. It invites in the awful news. It calls out low vibrations.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
If I asked a question from an Appreciative Inquiry model, I’d ask:</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“I know you’re a very committed person that likely works 40-50 hours a week. I see how much you care about your work and the environment. Could you take a moment and share your best experience with wild horses? What’s your most positive story about wild horses presently running free? What is one thing you’d be willing to do to build on that success in Wyoming?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHBEL4vvS71CL1M5iKP3dY-PtB5aFRAu3k3ekaO4Cpb3EL1E1pTHmpKp2xMOHiZoGE5ZBf0gqFs2QyDpQRSn_25y3DNkqGnn5nB9oNFkhm_k9YXZI8fdUtzic7RiOARD3aYWPQ-prxEY/s1600/imgres-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHBEL4vvS71CL1M5iKP3dY-PtB5aFRAu3k3ekaO4Cpb3EL1E1pTHmpKp2xMOHiZoGE5ZBf0gqFs2QyDpQRSn_25y3DNkqGnn5nB9oNFkhm_k9YXZI8fdUtzic7RiOARD3aYWPQ-prxEY/s1600/imgres-11.jpg" height="134" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It honors success and commitment. It inspires change. It builds on success. It listens for what’s possible. People’s vibrations light up in sharing good stories. Change occurs when we are aligned and sending forth positive vibrations. It’s what animals and people need. To build on that foundation, I might ask people to turn to something that inspires them.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_U_o1jydZZl8yzdWbszTw5WdwmcM2F8djXrqOdl0p7tR0lNDxjRaEAzMVXOSEldZc03441mb1ikyHxgcVzmJncnP0Mou_Dh2b3c07Ti9EIyn624oTIWtO3HzGIZyh-tGsepSQEHVeodg/s1600/imgres-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_U_o1jydZZl8yzdWbszTw5WdwmcM2F8djXrqOdl0p7tR0lNDxjRaEAzMVXOSEldZc03441mb1ikyHxgcVzmJncnP0Mou_Dh2b3c07Ti9EIyn624oTIWtO3HzGIZyh-tGsepSQEHVeodg/s1600/imgres-9.jpg" height="256" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Michael Stillwater and Gary Malkin put together such an i<span class="s1">nspiring video</span>. <a href="http://vimeo.com/6518109">“The Great Bell Chant”</a> nourishes lives. It fosters positive vibrations. It renews the spirit.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GDhM5F7-0p8Q8q44XkRr71Lv2OPNvYyoQTh5nLGdcwBICc5I4o4UGMdrBAIVULlrB0lx5-erhWUU6lJ8GxjSrpH69_nXmUbYU-eonDgh_gFegv-KY3vtFL5_bXFn0_0gZtp_ukg2kIw/s1600/imgres-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GDhM5F7-0p8Q8q44XkRr71Lv2OPNvYyoQTh5nLGdcwBICc5I4o4UGMdrBAIVULlrB0lx5-erhWUU6lJ8GxjSrpH69_nXmUbYU-eonDgh_gFegv-KY3vtFL5_bXFn0_0gZtp_ukg2kIw/s1600/imgres-6.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Dear Reader, tell me a story about the time you created a positive impact with others. How and where in the world, will you build on that success?</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-32943956700155619252014-11-21T08:32:00.000-08:002014-11-21T10:42:21.380-08:00THANKSGIVING / A MEAL FULL OF GRACE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlnzN1qGCUo0DBtSXZKSQy6GRJWB57JlPrCjVLYYe29SRndyLlQMsIiQjn72Qh5sYv98NE_CFunOVZO5H9YrM-HiF1X7Quajfq2iv_-W5gpbb96U0CB9rsuXcWZ7dY43xBtiBJL0zYw4/s1600/imgres-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlnzN1qGCUo0DBtSXZKSQy6GRJWB57JlPrCjVLYYe29SRndyLlQMsIiQjn72Qh5sYv98NE_CFunOVZO5H9YrM-HiF1X7Quajfq2iv_-W5gpbb96U0CB9rsuXcWZ7dY43xBtiBJL0zYw4/s1600/imgres-5.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I’ve made peace with Thanksgiving. I feel affection for how it became a blessing day of gratitude and sharing.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I had a few issues with Thanksgiving that I needed to transform first. (Family baggage; <span class="s1"><a href="https://unsettlingamerica.wordpress.com/tag/pilgrims/">USA’s Thanksgiving’s historical past</a> </span>and <span class="s1"><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/07/confessions-of-vegetarian-day-i-heard.html">The Turkey</a></span>.) As a young adult, I never grasped taking a life and then giving thanks over it; so I don’t. While I can’t undo <span class="s1">Native American suffering at the hands of Pilgrims</span>, I can bless Native American culture. As for family baggage, it’s meant to be released.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdboQoWOncyTJ258UabVO3vZrwSmwQF_3dvLF88xjTRQ05rS3wME3VoIH7csAxzZdGq2yuqAsR405jsLvpb13nHx9PgBKMRMLWhkNJMfIZoCCp3FNxEE7MTq4C5iFdjTwFKoMHpG_C5Q/s1600/onam1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdboQoWOncyTJ258UabVO3vZrwSmwQF_3dvLF88xjTRQ05rS3wME3VoIH7csAxzZdGq2yuqAsR405jsLvpb13nHx9PgBKMRMLWhkNJMfIZoCCp3FNxEE7MTq4C5iFdjTwFKoMHpG_C5Q/s1600/onam1.jpg" height="188" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<br />
Harvest Festivals from around the world have a common theme: blessing, giving thanks and feasts with loved ones. Embracing other harvests gave me a deeper appreciation of what’s possible.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://us.india.com/top-n/onam-special-5-things-you-need-to-know-about-harvest-festival-in-kerala-141758/">Onam is a Kerala festival</a> </span>honoring a time of freedom, protection and prosperity.</div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://festivals.iloveindia.com/thanks-giving/thanksgiving-countries.html">Thanksgiving in Brazil</a> </span>is about giving thanks to God for the harvest.</div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/Culture/General/CherokeeFestivals.aspx">Great New Moon Festival </a></span>is a ceremony of the Cherokee Nation.</div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Many Native Americans pay respect to <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.powwows.com/2011/11/17/the-native-american-harvest-gathering/">Harvest festivals</a></span>.</div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Society/view?articleId=121606">Korean Chuseok</a> </span>is a day of thanks and honoring ancestors. </div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWnxf78YqwSpnoKrUdTla4eIu1lKkVLOxy2MteXLiPuEfnWfw2GaCzASKvjRyPvFa8wJ359SpspdfRdxSC1lWAFqSTwgpoJtOoNoROBuCvzEmLca0C4MWYmL_Cz_PdGHDSn7w1t4G69U/s1600/Cherokeewinterscene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWnxf78YqwSpnoKrUdTla4eIu1lKkVLOxy2MteXLiPuEfnWfw2GaCzASKvjRyPvFa8wJ359SpspdfRdxSC1lWAFqSTwgpoJtOoNoROBuCvzEmLca0C4MWYmL_Cz_PdGHDSn7w1t4G69U/s1600/Cherokeewinterscene.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
One of my favorite Thanksgivings was 21 years ago. I invited a niece and nephew, two close friends, their friend, my sister, brother-in-law and their two dogs, to come for a few days to a family vacation home that was my turn to use. We collectively would create the meal. My dog, Nami, offered to do kitchen clean-up.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I’d just unloaded grocery bags. I turned to everyone to discuss how to organize Thanksgiving preparations. <i>Who wanted what?</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My friend, Marie, was first to speak. Her question: “Karla, what would you have if you weren’t thinking about what we wanted?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“Well, interesting question. Because I’m a vegetarian, I’d make things like, uhm: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Pear Salad, Cranberry Sauce, Yeast Rolls, Mushroom Gravy, Holiday Stuffing, Mashed Yams, Pumpkin Pies. Maybe another pie and a Tofu loaf.”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Marie replied: “Sounds GREAT to me! Let’s have these dishes this Thanksgiving. We don’t need the other stuff.”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Everyone agreed!<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My jaw dropped. I invited everyone to co-create Thanksgiving from all our favorite dishes.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“But you guys like that other stuff!”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“Well, this year we don’t,” Marie declared, with all heads nodding. “That’s settled. Let’s make a list.”<br />
<br />
Vegetarian Thanksgiving was in progress.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAHaH2VkB5PcPlf0mCO8kJ-tT16WqUFgIvK3Ng5WjXgaPS5w3dOekIMzg60gdxbmwXTs6Pmlo_zjB_KZEZOuL0pVkVuuFrV7UWs8RY2SAIyjFEVCs8Izyr3_ExyRvGuWTG-cY5Cjmljo/s1600/imgres-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAHaH2VkB5PcPlf0mCO8kJ-tT16WqUFgIvK3Ng5WjXgaPS5w3dOekIMzg60gdxbmwXTs6Pmlo_zjB_KZEZOuL0pVkVuuFrV7UWs8RY2SAIyjFEVCs8Izyr3_ExyRvGuWTG-cY5Cjmljo/s1600/imgres-6.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I was blown away by everyone’s generosity. Thanksgiving became about deepening connections and true giving.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Cooking that day was fun. <i>Finally</i>, we sat around a candle-lit table, with ocean views and sounds. We shared gratitude. EVERYONE loved the food! The conversation was warm and plenty, just like our sated bellies.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
While everyone else was sitting back from the table, digesting, I watched my sister reaching generously for more food. The rest of us moaned about how much we’d eaten. We all were preparing for an ocean walk. I stopped the conversation.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWyRnwUM4j1UM4QRdAb7SxMDkGvJB93Pt3Ft949gmW-wjIfN7lgoChBFRViT66W9JCt8It_WhJ3AUpNRbTXyyYBPiwljOixHK8jNgYe_Ha6YrPa3MTFDgXPw66aoVkpqHv5KYQJyn24A/s1600/imgres-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWyRnwUM4j1UM4QRdAb7SxMDkGvJB93Pt3Ft949gmW-wjIfN7lgoChBFRViT66W9JCt8It_WhJ3AUpNRbTXyyYBPiwljOixHK8jNgYe_Ha6YrPa3MTFDgXPw66aoVkpqHv5KYQJyn24A/s1600/imgres-11.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
“Hey, Georgie, what’s up with you? You just ate more food than I’ve seen you eat in your whole lifetime! Normally, you nibble. <i>Are you PREGNANT</i>?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“Wow, Karla, you’re good. I wasn’t going to tell anyone. But yes, yes, I am,” Georgie said beaming.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My jaw dropped one more time.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And this is how I shared one of the best, happiest and most amazing Thanksgivings of my life.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>So, Reader, tell me about a time when you were really happy at Thanksgiving. Who was there and what contributed to your satisfaction?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNj4BOnMGOrVlMtHbJxJRnAl5iTzv-61jtpck4Q2jnyGuXJp2LyBc1MofyYME58hmmwevGi2xYw2CJcxsgZ24v7F1YkFSIEB8GOe-YgW0X-MKXOKaLWRJvoGXcFiOAS9r4nn_HXHRK38/s1600/imgres-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNj4BOnMGOrVlMtHbJxJRnAl5iTzv-61jtpck4Q2jnyGuXJp2LyBc1MofyYME58hmmwevGi2xYw2CJcxsgZ24v7F1YkFSIEB8GOe-YgW0X-MKXOKaLWRJvoGXcFiOAS9r4nn_HXHRK38/s1600/imgres-10.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-20768131600611996832014-11-14T08:23:00.000-08:002014-11-14T15:46:07.351-08:00THE LOVING POWER OF HORSES AND THE UNKNOWN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrv4J3OssuyOiY9Qyav2ivYunqta6OKZZnXEUVOthyFPPAlSGF2kWSjEa0K3Uta4GOwyUh6VYhCsbpszpGuNhQ98DUNvbYhMEQKbZ0QhYMbe6riFyKYED9L71P7ynRgyFd4mg-HnWbUJg/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrv4J3OssuyOiY9Qyav2ivYunqta6OKZZnXEUVOthyFPPAlSGF2kWSjEa0K3Uta4GOwyUh6VYhCsbpszpGuNhQ98DUNvbYhMEQKbZ0QhYMbe6riFyKYED9L71P7ynRgyFd4mg-HnWbUJg/s1600/imgres.jpg" height="224" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
When I engage in equine coaching, I enter into what the Lakota people call <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJnS5l8_zug">The Great Mystery</a>.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Yesterday, as I stepped into the barn, I met a peaceful scene. Part of the herd came down the hill. Others, already with stall access, came in for a nuzzle.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>7</o:Words>
<o:Characters>44</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Namaste Global Vision</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>54</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->My client and I were working in the small barn room.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span>From my perch, I saw more horses come down the hill. At liberty, they milled around Ginger quietly standing in the round pen. A couple of horses were lying down. A few nuzzled each other. There was a lot of licking and chewing. Eyes were attentive on me as I worked with the client.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTK1xr2a-haWSkL2w7XPVg3zNdV69gB5HVqMnpYoXWuxTrAevESh2iSfuwMiBPb_YpHZ7gYIsigqSWyBkXcvCxfJ0gZjV3b06biqdxMZHKKx7VP-IILqYKCu8r6F9Ohovv328sA6SS_A/s1600/IMG_9257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTK1xr2a-haWSkL2w7XPVg3zNdV69gB5HVqMnpYoXWuxTrAevESh2iSfuwMiBPb_YpHZ7gYIsigqSWyBkXcvCxfJ0gZjV3b06biqdxMZHKKx7VP-IILqYKCu8r6F9Ohovv328sA6SS_A/s1600/IMG_9257.JPG" height="223" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTK1xr2a-haWSkL2w7XPVg3zNdV69gB5HVqMnpYoXWuxTrAevESh2iSfuwMiBPb_YpHZ7gYIsigqSWyBkXcvCxfJ0gZjV3b06biqdxMZHKKx7VP-IILqYKCu8r6F9Ohovv328sA6SS_A/s1600/IMG_9257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My client works for a large company. He recently shifted from a breakdown with a close colleague and was still in dialogue. His former communication and integrity issues cost him business and respect. He was seeking deeper intimacy with his teams and family.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
After a brief exploration in the round pen, life burst into action on the other side of the pen. Two of the horses nipped each other, nosed, chased...sometimes kicking out as one of them would speed up the hill and then return.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgfSiArTadW-NcPrDuK-VQc536ioPJL-A_js10CCqchGzCJNXuR2gUq41K0taihCXytS-PmNQShBs3qiM5qfFBixVdbc_2inz3-hLK0MUujiA0UKhIFCTuBVyQ1MNI63NckKLZrEU_lM/s1600/imgres-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgfSiArTadW-NcPrDuK-VQc536ioPJL-A_js10CCqchGzCJNXuR2gUq41K0taihCXytS-PmNQShBs3qiM5qfFBixVdbc_2inz3-hLK0MUujiA0UKhIFCTuBVyQ1MNI63NckKLZrEU_lM/s1600/imgres-17.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
After scanning the environment, I asked my client what the two horses seemed to be saying to him.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>"Well, it was connection and then biting. Like fighting. So I guess something about connecting." </i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
More biting and chasing ensued.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I then asked if his inner intimacy conflict had returned? He confided that it had. Ginger came a little closer.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“What’s Ginger saying?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“That I was honest and it's okay to come closer to me. I still feel agitated, though. Like I cannot get ahold of it.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“Of intimacy? But you just did by admitting you were in conflict and not hiding it.”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The exploration changed again. Ginger moved off and the biting and nipping resumed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaY5Q1yhffUekuCT9892-dtYafBm1zvcksPxEoh0n1W2LJFV9AojrJHAomg7Xf0VK7sLrIRKyPSzhfuMTy8adZ-tfK6V37yML4h3OgKQndScN8lqHei5AgMSltE2-cziDoYUBsXkJ6Z1M/s1600/imgres-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaY5Q1yhffUekuCT9892-dtYafBm1zvcksPxEoh0n1W2LJFV9AojrJHAomg7Xf0VK7sLrIRKyPSzhfuMTy8adZ-tfK6V37yML4h3OgKQndScN8lqHei5AgMSltE2-cziDoYUBsXkJ6Z1M/s1600/imgres-19.jpg" height="310" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaY5Q1yhffUekuCT9892-dtYafBm1zvcksPxEoh0n1W2LJFV9AojrJHAomg7Xf0VK7sLrIRKyPSzhfuMTy8adZ-tfK6V37yML4h3OgKQndScN8lqHei5AgMSltE2-cziDoYUBsXkJ6Z1M/s1600/imgres-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“Hmm, is there anyone you’re in conflict with presently?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“Well, I blew up at Bert. But I don’t think he cared.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
More nipping and rearing.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
What are the horses saying to you?</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“If it weren’t for the broken company...”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
More nipping and rearing.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“What are the horses saying?</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“Heck yes, I blew up. It was a bad deal and I couldn’t take it anymore.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
Ginger moved away from John. More nipping, rearing and biting.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I walked closer into my client’s space. My body was relaxed, my voice even. “I thought you already decided that blowing up was unacceptable?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My client looked out into the distance to the top of the pasture hills. Ginger moved to stand in front of the round pen gate.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>“What’s Ginger saying to you?”</b></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
John laughed. <i>“That there is no way out.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“From?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“Putting an end to my rage and controlling others.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“What are the other horses showing you?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“I have to clean this up.”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And?</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“I will tonight.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
“Who are you mad at?” <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYM5sHdZtQqMDM66jViESPgLX0PNLZz_9mRVmEKYsAhm08BxQvH-NXpcLT4gBIvlhQ2ztTAYOLUONIK6zYZ7eaH066dGrejN_tJ_L_zqvFH6zEx7KOFHDME1EysHF6XDobTPKcvJmvgg/s1600/Ted_Christie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYM5sHdZtQqMDM66jViESPgLX0PNLZz_9mRVmEKYsAhm08BxQvH-NXpcLT4gBIvlhQ2ztTAYOLUONIK6zYZ7eaH066dGrejN_tJ_L_zqvFH6zEx7KOFHDME1EysHF6XDobTPKcvJmvgg/s1600/Ted_Christie.jpg" height="158" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Me. I am mad at me for not communicating, not knowing how to share my love of the project. I blew it and took it out on Bert.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“John, what was the herd energy when you arrived? And then later, with you?”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“Well as we came to the round pen, they were all calm. Then when I was talking those two were play fighting, they showed me I wasn’t. I was numb and yet, aggressive. It was ... really ... like love ... and POWER. You, too. Like a Loving Power.”</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh0Pb_PL4pWwJJLlBVldg7uW6hicldulW0KNeO7CHPLbm4cOPaaR440W8Xj2WIRZg4u6u1I1k0dsuNuAIIchbi9brKp4TeYrnFIgZyKlzbewrJSXy0trfyUD0Ps7t55lOSXQgkObuQxE/s1600/imgres-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh0Pb_PL4pWwJJLlBVldg7uW6hicldulW0KNeO7CHPLbm4cOPaaR440W8Xj2WIRZg4u6u1I1k0dsuNuAIIchbi9brKp4TeYrnFIgZyKlzbewrJSXy0trfyUD0Ps7t55lOSXQgkObuQxE/s1600/imgres-9.jpg" height="299" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
A day later, I called an equine coaching friend. With only a brief picture of the horse’s interaction, she had the same coaching questions as I. She asked about my response to the work done.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“It’s so dynamic. I don’t like seeing the horses bite each other. And you’re right, I don’t really know what it’s like for them. They <i>were</i> play fighting. It's really that sometimes when I express this loving power, I get anxious. This strong vibration of love, strong and focused. And yet, the horses cheered me, whinnying, coming closer when I moved in closer to my client. They backed me up.”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
“How was that?” my friend asked.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My eyes teared up. “It’s my growing edge. I know Nature and the animals are helping us, even in our work. It’s humbling. I feel moved by it.”</div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Dear Reader, when was the last time you let Nature have a word with you? Did you make the change?</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0bBVZG7GSzt-aNN9YWFPeFxTozlufIEN1mw7Wqii_oYYs_JyT9ENA4tnpse-PxDJXaWQH24kXnWzvtjbqim60Np8r5hl3MJF7THBUfH59eXKNjeuJx8aGASr7QBgqTb9dTk7GJMvxVk/s1600/imgres-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0bBVZG7GSzt-aNN9YWFPeFxTozlufIEN1mw7Wqii_oYYs_JyT9ENA4tnpse-PxDJXaWQH24kXnWzvtjbqim60Np8r5hl3MJF7THBUfH59eXKNjeuJx8aGASr7QBgqTb9dTk7GJMvxVk/s1600/imgres-10.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-16730376696774246352014-11-07T07:35:00.000-08:002014-11-07T11:45:05.881-08:00THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, PEACE AND TRANSFORMATION<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFFeSh3hELSpJaXoN1_F9Zl3a9sNBSWTcq7v6hWAQkA9zAcPEdLJcaRECvMc5Rtn4-Ernmps6lF-v5MvTt5x-N81XFpVIogGrSL4fr3G_5P5hQ6K_z9856tsPnJlEJg1uRQlAM9Mm3vY/s1600/imgres-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFFeSh3hELSpJaXoN1_F9Zl3a9sNBSWTcq7v6hWAQkA9zAcPEdLJcaRECvMc5Rtn4-Ernmps6lF-v5MvTt5x-N81XFpVIogGrSL4fr3G_5P5hQ6K_z9856tsPnJlEJg1uRQlAM9Mm3vY/s1600/imgres-1.jpg" height="295" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
If I were to interview organizational consultant colleagues, they would say that <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/167633/why-company-mission-driven.aspx">mission embodied companies</a> </span>are the most likely to succeed. Many consultants write about the value of <a href="http://blog.readytomanage.com/how-can-individual-and-organizational-values-be-better-aligned/"><span class="s1">aligned personal and organizational values</span>.</a> Most consultants know of the <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/aligning-action.html">gap</a> </span>between living personal values and the organization’s values in the workplace.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p_XHqgbFON2Zx6l59qSdwdoiUIUIK6GNuzbPeiionn9H4JRBKa8Yr6lOJwgh7N3joCTS4eTNRN-Bla7YE2X8YIF_ikJQ4riY7Ry94ETBAi_EaMEyfszqUpjWvx9JyErZClezDn4KPUI/s1600/imgres-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p_XHqgbFON2Zx6l59qSdwdoiUIUIK6GNuzbPeiionn9H4JRBKa8Yr6lOJwgh7N3joCTS4eTNRN-Bla7YE2X8YIF_ikJQ4riY7Ry94ETBAi_EaMEyfszqUpjWvx9JyErZClezDn4KPUI/s1600/imgres-2.jpg" height="400" width="398" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">We are living at a time that’s vital to our global family’s sustainability. We need to <span class="s1"><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/10/healing-cosmic-split.html">heal the splits </a></span>between our <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.townsendletter.com/June2009/bc_mystroke0609.htm">core right brain values</a> </span>and our actions. Happiness is a core value of the United States Constitution. Many of us now know that the key to happiness lies in manifesting our core values of peace, love, joy, and compassion into our lives and the world. Yet, there is a huge split in we Americans’ ability to manifest equality and happiness for all.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i> “<a href="http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1776-1785/jeffersons-draft-of-the-declaration-of-independence.php#par2">We hold these truths to be self-evident,</a> that all men are created equal, that</i><br />
<i> they</i><i> are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that</i><br />
<i> among these </i><i>are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”</i><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Many Americans say that peace of mind is a core value. Auto and health care insurance; estate, auto sales and pet sitting advertising capitalize on this in their slogans. Yet, the USA does not have a track record of demonstrating peaceful actions and relations. We don't treat everyone in the USA as if they have a right to pursue freedom or happiness.<br />
<br />
<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/violent-deaths-us-gun-firearm-possession-life-expectancy_n_2442826.html">The Huffington Post </a></span>wrote a recent article, “Violent Deaths More Common In U.S. Than Any Other Wealthy Nation Report,” finding that “homicide and suicide together account for about a quarter of the years of life lost for U.S. men compared to those in peer countries.” Poverty is another factor in American violent deaths. Alcohol related accidents and drug abuse are others.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Other Statistics of incongruence with American Values of Peace and Happiness<br />
1. USA: Highest <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-with-highest-reported-crime-rates.html">crime rate</a> </span>of any wealthy nation.<br />
2. USA: Residents say they love animals and yet consume <span class="s1"><a href="http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalrights101/tp/How-Many-Animals-Are-Killed.htm">one-sixth </a></span>of the<br />
global population of them. </div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5Nj1adnrwEr628W2V_uorOfEUDq2HKQUetkxjOHhqeomOAg3ZtphnD7vbotisWSNepFpLnd7aRxpZmkB1hx9BAmMEq3dCkXr5GixiRdLI8yYTtr0gOHtIla0jdPIIj_TeeP-wDR0y8Y/s1600/imgres-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5Nj1adnrwEr628W2V_uorOfEUDq2HKQUetkxjOHhqeomOAg3ZtphnD7vbotisWSNepFpLnd7aRxpZmkB1hx9BAmMEq3dCkXr5GixiRdLI8yYTtr0gOHtIla0jdPIIj_TeeP-wDR0y8Y/s1600/imgres-3.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">3. Most surprising is the </span><span class="s1" style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/non-economic-data/most-peaceful-countries#i">Global Peace Index 2012</a></span><span style="text-align: start;">. The USA ranks low on the list.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6H9Jk6u3Fch08JGitFbztL-0Zh8b2Kl7H0Qw6NL-ksm0poexemBbiDVyUPnmOeMnUGn_cgorvMENcKQYZM-BPL52jSvqVHz-MgWE0aDCXDT6NruAWD_djoEUb11PEB3IK05f7YAgB0P0/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-20+at+11.46.49.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6H9Jk6u3Fch08JGitFbztL-0Zh8b2Kl7H0Qw6NL-ksm0poexemBbiDVyUPnmOeMnUGn_cgorvMENcKQYZM-BPL52jSvqVHz-MgWE0aDCXDT6NruAWD_djoEUb11PEB3IK05f7YAgB0P0/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-20+at+11.46.49.png" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
It’s striking that, ranked at #88, Americans haven’t yet demonstrated inner peace translating to world peace statistics. Yet, you cannot be committed to peace, joy and happiness while engaged in practices, images, language, thoughts, values, mindsets, policies and decisions that promote violence.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi3jlhhdNCxxhfC6QSvZ_oFSsdSU-9inP4uZbC1gd-mdqjo6lGyudH2oYaoVka1wqkMcYthxlVTEhF-Bi15i9iNWoPtpqFAXuv-N_cjCkaWXzwsJSIGnhe4cVCtbLTtmy2f9GlcXSBws/s1600/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi3jlhhdNCxxhfC6QSvZ_oFSsdSU-9inP4uZbC1gd-mdqjo6lGyudH2oYaoVka1wqkMcYthxlVTEhF-Bi15i9iNWoPtpqFAXuv-N_cjCkaWXzwsJSIGnhe4cVCtbLTtmy2f9GlcXSBws/s1600/images.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_slutkin_let_s_treat_violence_like_a_contagious_disease?awesm=on.ted.com_c0FkT&utm_content=awesm-publisher&utm_medium=on.ted.com-tumblr-link&utm_source=ted.tumblr.com&utm_campaign">Physician Gary Slutkin returned from a decade of treating diseases in Africa</a>. When he returned to American, ready to rest from epidemic deaths, he discovered America was not exempt from the scourge of brutal disease. He encountered <i>gun violence</i> that followed patterns of infectious disease. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work.<br />
<br />
<br />
Americans can join Dr. Slulkin and others who are helping the USA and the world align their core values and manifest them into peace and happiness. Otto Scharmer writes:<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s2"> <i> </i></span><i><a href="http://www.ottoscharmer.com/pdfs/Ego2Eco_Intro.pdf"><span class="s1">What's being born is</span>.</a>..something that we can feel in many places across Planet </i><br />
<i> Earth. This future is not just about firefighting and tinkering with the surface </i><br />
<i> of structural change. It’s not just about replacing one mindset that no longer </i><br />
<i> serves us with another. It’s a future that requires us to tap into a deeper level</i><br />
<i> of our humanity, of who we really are and who we want to be as a society. It</i><br />
<i> is a future that we can sense and actualize by shifting the inner place from </i><br />
<i> which we operate.</i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
We can <span class="s1"><a href="http://faculty.weber.edu/molpin/healthclasses/1110/bookchapters/valueschapter.htm">shift</a> </span>into love, harmony, joy and compassion. We can find <span class="s1"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw9JVQ1ZP-w">freedom for all</a></span>. There is growing value in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_Rights_of_Mother_Earth"><span class="s1">our earth</span>’s </a>sustainability.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatp0vXFqM_nhlMTHUXPL-wGVSUtGlljABSs5EkGK61YRf_WyJvFDerd0YPi9_ir5lOBmi9qr-IuG_GY0tlV523fRtPZ_FjfXl883zL6kMnoTgDsK2y6y72W-prXThEw1qkqL2O54m9AA/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatp0vXFqM_nhlMTHUXPL-wGVSUtGlljABSs5EkGK61YRf_WyJvFDerd0YPi9_ir5lOBmi9qr-IuG_GY0tlV523fRtPZ_FjfXl883zL6kMnoTgDsK2y6y72W-prXThEw1qkqL2O54m9AA/s1600/images-2.jpg" height="400" width="356" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="p4">
It is up to all of us to align our core values with our life practices. I consider this essential and noble work. It’s money well spent. We can close the gap between constitutional declarations, organizational missions, and personal values.</div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
Reader, do you want genuine happiness? Are you willing to invest your life’s energy into creating it for you...and the world?</div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-46407899739581241622014-10-31T08:26:00.000-07:002014-10-31T08:34:27.634-07:00"ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE"<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBO3EtmfYXPRheN1sep67i2iqjBNQYvQZ7qAZXUzWTBH59RIp3CNvM27uf_NC86bIKh4FR-JaGXyBaZ-i0eJGKgRuSWwPc3ky2a4ANliy3c_f6uFz5zxjrWouJ55RRuI1r0R3-cXGTt0/s1600/imgres-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBO3EtmfYXPRheN1sep67i2iqjBNQYvQZ7qAZXUzWTBH59RIp3CNvM27uf_NC86bIKh4FR-JaGXyBaZ-i0eJGKgRuSWwPc3ky2a4ANliy3c_f6uFz5zxjrWouJ55RRuI1r0R3-cXGTt0/s1600/imgres-3.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: left;">
<i> Any negative emotion that lasts longer than 90 seconds is the result </i><br />
<i> of negative </i><i>self- talk and storytelling by the left-brain. <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.townsendletter.com/June2009/bc_mystroke0609.htm">My stroke of insight</a> </span></i><br />
<i> is that the core </i><i>of my right hemisphere consciousness is completely committed</i><br />
<i> to the expression </i><i>of peace, love, joy, and compassion in the world.</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i> <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight">Jill Bolte Taylor, Neuroanatomis</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">t</span></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><span class="s1"> <a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Language_of_Letting_Go.html?id=9AYE6k0JlNoC">There is plenty of good love available</a></span>—love that heals our heart, melts </i><br />
<i> our needs, </i><i>and makes our spirit sing.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i> Melody Beattie</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR492QzEB22Hhq5emgCV59eA96ux1JqiKOUo216m0OfdD4l7y1jhidybr3kE_EOheEgc3t_Y0PSginwA5Oq5ziAZa4CCbnCa8yH_G4f7mnbMG_FZfkzI_jyroEzgiNGojPYN__7vFbT44/s1600/imgres-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR492QzEB22Hhq5emgCV59eA96ux1JqiKOUo216m0OfdD4l7y1jhidybr3kE_EOheEgc3t_Y0PSginwA5Oq5ziAZa4CCbnCa8yH_G4f7mnbMG_FZfkzI_jyroEzgiNGojPYN__7vFbT44/s1600/imgres-6.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"> "</span><a href="http://youtu.be/s-pFAFsTFTI">ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE</a><span style="text-align: center;">"</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
Love is simple. It asks for nothing in return. When a friend requests me to send some positive energy, I do. If a family member writes that her cancer is back, I send love. It’s now part of my morning observance to send love to people, animals and issues who enter my consciousness.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
What I don’t do is let my left-brain negative thoughts send messages with the LOVE, such as, <i>“Maggie give up your political views.” </i>My left-brain doesn’t get a vote on what’s bad for Maggie. Those thoughts go into the trash.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
But LOVE? Love I can send Maggie for the present situation that she’s facing.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Until I read Jill Bolte Taylor’s book, <span class="s1"><a href="http://mystrokeofinsight.com/index.html">My Stroke of Insight</a></span>, I didn’t know we could simply pick the negative self-talk “weeds” from our brain. My left brain, like yours, has been programmed to talk trash. Those thoughts are weeds and they’ve got to go.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Today, a few words into writing this blog, weeds showed up. When the electrician arrived for a ten-minute check on my breaker-box, it turned into a three-hour affair. With my computer shut down, I was “hired” to confirm what outlets belonged to which breaker.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
I heard my brain complain. It took a few attempts, but I succeeded in tossing out the negative talk. I aligned with being friendly. <i>So my day wasn’t going as planned</i>. When the electrician left, I sent him love; me, too, and those impacted by the delay of promises that I had made. I sent love to my blog. I sat in the sun a bit, connected with a few friends online and wham, I was back in the zone. Ready to write, grateful that the electricity was back on.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
In my last blog, <span class="s1"><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/10/healing-cosmic-split.html">Healing the Cosmic Split</a></span>, I shared cosmology stories about the UNITY FIELD. It’s this field of energy that our right brain hemispheres tap into, sending loving, peaceful, joyful and compassionate vibrations. I’m part of that Field. So are you.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2mF8TJ0yAG5GRVAvHwtRUh6jiy5F4aZ_kdU3QwYK57wFEwDDpGs15UfBSk8MqzUxN2EYz6vI0Yz5rnEXtCTNU6y3VqdzovbfkCbcA3oNfj71A5TcZi-kB_0JLZPwDdtQInP_h5zUgeg/s1600/imgres-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2mF8TJ0yAG5GRVAvHwtRUh6jiy5F4aZ_kdU3QwYK57wFEwDDpGs15UfBSk8MqzUxN2EYz6vI0Yz5rnEXtCTNU6y3VqdzovbfkCbcA3oNfj71A5TcZi-kB_0JLZPwDdtQInP_h5zUgeg/s1600/imgres-2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
What happens if we routinely are sending and receiving love from that <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.scienceandnonduality.com/videos/john-hagelin-is-consciousness-the-unified-field/">field</a></span>? It aligns us, heals us and unites us. Who knows the impact it has on our crying world?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<i>Dear Reader, do you want to send Love? </i>Okay, take a moment now.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
With your heart open and your mind quiet, send one person LOVE. Send LOVE to any troubling situation.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p2">
If you like this moment of sending love, what’s one thing you can do to keep your vibrations tuned to this <span class="s1"><a href="http://youtu.be/gwuAntPHGVM">LOVE </a></span>channel and the Unity Field?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAhBMVVUBQGAO1I2oV9HR4krTs0ltn2VTlNJfsspjf37UxpQ6ruNQ9-dCYTU6Uv4dI4PPfgaXx2UysMX3fJlP7fzBDS1F_dQBMs40B3bbGfoquOt5aJiWuY17k2jV-ge64MfdvO8ppO4/s1600/imgres-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAhBMVVUBQGAO1I2oV9HR4krTs0ltn2VTlNJfsspjf37UxpQ6ruNQ9-dCYTU6Uv4dI4PPfgaXx2UysMX3fJlP7fzBDS1F_dQBMs40B3bbGfoquOt5aJiWuY17k2jV-ge64MfdvO8ppO4/s1600/imgres-1.jpg" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-21761978309250022014-10-24T08:42:00.000-07:002014-10-24T11:52:08.102-07:00HEALING THE COSMIC SPLIT<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsn-cQOjxgwsTGGQNWQKApeXPE5cFFwyQBpeoypVUjIygtm09vP4634mUhpo970Ofm_BmsZkXkLG457Rh2hJhotdkt7SOehscgUusm8YPAQM429Tydcko7Si7o7OnF2lU2Riz_Ksb5s1c/s1600/cosmos-space-backgrounds-27563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsn-cQOjxgwsTGGQNWQKApeXPE5cFFwyQBpeoypVUjIygtm09vP4634mUhpo970Ofm_BmsZkXkLG457Rh2hJhotdkt7SOehscgUusm8YPAQM429Tydcko7Si7o7OnF2lU2Riz_Ksb5s1c/s1600/cosmos-space-backgrounds-27563.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.easwaran.org/the-chandogya-upanishad-you-are-that.html">The Chandogya Upanishad</a></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
In the beginning was only Being,</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
One without a second.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
And entered into everything in it.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
There is nothing that does not come from him.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
You are that, Svetaketu; you are that.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.balagokulam.org/kids/stories/uddalaka.php">Svetaketu </a></span>is us all: humans, animals, birds, trees and rocks. Like Svetaketu, we don’t realize that we are THAT, that we’re ONE BEING.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Our world view is that we’re separate; entitled to do as we please. We don’t have to answer to all life forms. We aren’t intrinsically related. Deuteronomy tells us we have a choice to make. We can pretend we’re not connected and wreak havoc (death) or we can see that every action we make impacts our collective whole.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/nlt/deuteronomy/30.htm"> New Living Translation</a><br />
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings<br />
<div>
and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. </div>
<div>
Oh, that you would choose life.<br />
<div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
In the teachings of <a href="http://templeisaiah.com/what-tikkun-olam"><span class="s1">mystic Isaac Luria, God performed a “tzimtzum”</span>,</a> what Kabbalists call a tremendous act of love. In this story, God created special vessels to contain Divine Light as he brought forth the world. The light was so brilliant that many vessels, unable to contain this radiance, shattered, flinging shards all over creation.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXXyFql8k8_Vom7ctTOOeb3vdBTPKPAhb6kuhf6vPk-YHY0orGXKmfLrJfWip-aO5gKVefM8VvBSfjfIjf_CI6cA8kcUb27MrqFfICYD-_07m0QI3FPQB0FLOsyTRy4AmAql4yQ8kMgU/s1600/k-bigpic-610x343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXXyFql8k8_Vom7ctTOOeb3vdBTPKPAhb6kuhf6vPk-YHY0orGXKmfLrJfWip-aO5gKVefM8VvBSfjfIjf_CI6cA8kcUb27MrqFfICYD-_07m0QI3FPQB0FLOsyTRy4AmAql4yQ8kMgU/s1600/k-bigpic-610x343.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Some Light returned to Source; some got trapped in the shards. It became our collective life purpose to gather this lost light...<i>to let our light shine</i>. To choose LIFE. We have the choice to participate in <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.reformjudaism.org.uk/a-to-z-of-reform-judaism/?id=152">Tikkun Olam</a> </span>(world repair) by healing our own inner splits.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
What’s a <a href="http://livingnow.com.au/articles/personal-development/healing-the-mindbody-split-the-evolutionary-road-to-a-deeper-happiness-and-fulfilment">“<span class="s1">split</span>”</a>? It’s like that reactive impulse to lash out when someone’s unkind. We heal it by slowing down, remembering our connection-letting in the LIGHT. As I reflect on this past week, I hear again my sister’s daughters saying heated words as my eldest niece was preparing to embark upon her new life.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
This family has had more than their share of loss, some tragic. Transitions are taxing. It’s where their Light is trapped in sorrow. While harsh words were spoken, the three adults remained calm, supporting each sister to speak her deeper truths. <i>Shining our light where it was dark</i>. Fences got mended and voices were heard. Now, if the adults could extend that to each other when tensions are high, we’d heal the cosmic split more quickly. And we do, every time we calm the waters.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://youtu.be/gwuAntPHGVM">Oprah asks Ms. Angelou in an interview</a></span>, “What words do you turn to for comfort.”</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Love,” Ms. Angelou answers.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<i>"[Love] may be that energy which keeps the stars in the firmament. It may be the energy that keeps the blood running through our veins.”</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
This is soul work: turning to kindness as loss surfaces. Loving ourselves and loving each other.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Love gives us the strength to participate in a great Tikkun Olam, healing our splits. We’re called upon to transform our unworthiness. We are called to let go of resentments.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
This LOVE is WHAT we are. <span class="s1"><a href="http://walkoutwalkon.net/south-africa/ubuntu-i-am-because-you-are/">Ubuntu</a></span>. You are that, Svetaketu; you are that.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Freed, this LIGHT gives hope. <a href="http://www.storiedmind.com/healing/rachel-naomi-remen-healing-stories/">Dr. Rachel Remen</a> says:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
We can learn to see [these sparks] in ourselves and others. When we<br />
spot one, we blow on it and strengthen it.</div>
<div class="p6">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p2">
<i>Dear Reader, what’s one split that you will start healing today? Can you see the light shining in someone that you love?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHOq5gJwx9Or3kPUaYKUGc8jYkyb7p0TZ9Nhw0nTkJLywtG4EP0ydPKLSkQNQ4d1WQC43LAustW661w1AtNmpuRezkFsqXcPLPbNZ60D1rio6KUGofEZysJKHjw6ifl1pQhPHgQCAUSc/s1600/world-in-your-hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHOq5gJwx9Or3kPUaYKUGc8jYkyb7p0TZ9Nhw0nTkJLywtG4EP0ydPKLSkQNQ4d1WQC43LAustW661w1AtNmpuRezkFsqXcPLPbNZ60D1rio6KUGofEZysJKHjw6ifl1pQhPHgQCAUSc/s1600/world-in-your-hands.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
</div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-12792757384892025502014-10-17T09:15:00.003-07:002014-10-17T21:59:39.636-07:00South Dakota International Black Hills Survival Gathering<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PMa7WYmTOAs/VEFDBZfa6PI/AAAAAAAADAg/764BIERmHL0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PMa7WYmTOAs/VEFDBZfa6PI/AAAAAAAADAg/764BIERmHL0/s1600/image.jpg" height="400" width="332" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Vicki and I were going to the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/(http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/trudellwearepower.htm)">South Dakota International Black Hills Survival Gathering </a> At the end of our ten day Buddhist meditation retreat, we knew we had to go. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Buddhism, the </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/(http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/dhamma-lists/)">fourth noble truth </a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">shows us how to end individual and global suffering. Buddha </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">taught that ignorance, greed, </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">attachment and hatred are torments of the minds. These poisons </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">were at cause in the Lakota people being denied safe water. </span></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Black Hills Alliance and Lakota people of Pine Ridge Reservation discovered cancers, </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">spontaneous abortions, and birth defects in 1980. In the </span></span><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=R1WwBWFEljQC&pg=PA111&lpg=PA111&dq=black+hills%20+international+survival+gathering+Lakota+1980&source=bl&ots=3oaPDLfY48&sig=0pOpgWXfRgBUkRArTLK5Ww073X4&hl=en&sa=X&%20ei=dbI-VMfFDqXCigKnqoHgAw&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=black%20hills%20international%20survival%20gathering%20Lakota%201980&f=false">WARN </a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">report (Women of All Red </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nations) a biochemist documented that radioactive materials were in the water.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Those born into our western culture are conditioned to be at war with nature. Not accustomed to </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/10/feeding-your-soul_3.html"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"sharing </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">territory"</span></a> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">we fight over it. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As scarcity thinkers, we feel that we lack stuff: money, land, yachts, villas, glamor, being good enough. We feel empty, believing we need external reality to fill us with stuff. It keeps us at war. We feel inadequate. Without the time or ability to care for our resources...</span><i>or our stuff. </i><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vicki and I were ripe with this knowing. Flying commercially at this point made no sense. Neither </span>did driving 1,374 miles. We returned to work and met early a few days later at a small-craft Oakland airport. We had a tent, sleeping bags and essentials. Our plan: hitchhike with pilots seeking company.<br />
<br />
After six declines, we flew to Bakersfield, CA. We loved the blue sky so close to us and the pilot loved our company. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After a long wait in searing summer heat, we hopped a ride to Tucson, Arizona. The pilot flew in close to the mountains. (Wow.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From Tucson, we caught a flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico. For the next three hours, we hiked the long dusty road with 110 degree temperatures burning down our necks. With frayed nerves, we rested in the shade at the next airport, waiting for a plane to land for refueling. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At twilight, we walked to Albuquerque International Sunport to ride standby. No luck: I slumped in a chair to sleep. Vicki stretched out under the chairs. At 5:00 am, security woke us. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Grumpy, we hiked back to the small-craft airport. A small Leer jet was just landing. With my heart in my throat, I asked his destination: "South Dakota near the Black Hills." (</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Wow.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Can we catch a ride?" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">South Dakota International Black Hills Survival Gathering </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">John Trudel opened the Gathering saying: "I would like to talk tonight in honor of all of us </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">in the struggle who have lost our relations to the Spirit world." Later, Vicki and I hiked into the </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">foothills to meditate with Mother Earth. We felt renewed by the mountains for the days ahead. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When disconnected, we forget to love ourselves and each other. When our cups are full, we share </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">territory. Within each of us lies an ability to connect with ENOUGH stuff: LOVE and </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">NOURISHMENT. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By letting go of baggage (our scarcity beliefs), we can open into abundance. We are </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">nourished there. Refreshed, we will want everyone to eat, have shelter and good water. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We can release poverty consciousness. We can let go of our conditioned ways. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This past weekend I joined my family to empower my niece to pursue her dreams, moving to a new </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">life and home, letting go of fears. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Affirm: "I am enough. I am good enough. I succeed in my endeavors. I am grateful for Father Sun, </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sister Moon, the stars, and water. I am satisfied. I am full." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Reader, are you ready to embrace prosperity and release the old ways? Are you ready to embrace Gaia?</span></div>
<div class="gmail_extra">
<div class="gmail_quote">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div dir="auto">
<div class="h5">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div class="gmail_extra">
<div class="gmail_quote">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div dir="auto">
<blockquote type="cite">
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-41956598094974275892014-10-10T08:13:00.000-07:002014-10-10T10:03:20.768-07:00FIREDANCE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWk2cniHAHJ2MMHzfZumQGhjUR3RbhAd3RTkVwEtY9Kg3kGcBdjOZL4mBvr_4d7WJWxZWPTz0NDztkOj9gH1qhC5gHO_FogKg-CG4nrZ0_3gRCV66lo6hkYeYBzrTvdD1lpOKfYdPsiBk/s1600/images-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWk2cniHAHJ2MMHzfZumQGhjUR3RbhAd3RTkVwEtY9Kg3kGcBdjOZL4mBvr_4d7WJWxZWPTz0NDztkOj9gH1qhC5gHO_FogKg-CG4nrZ0_3gRCV66lo6hkYeYBzrTvdD1lpOKfYdPsiBk/s1600/images-13.jpg" height="400" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
As I looked into the fire I was mesmerized by what seemed to be an apparition in full Native American regalia, dancing in the fiery cinders. He danced into a circle of flames, twirling and turning as if in ceremony. Others followed; he led them through a blaze of joy, wending this way and then that.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iRsGPLRN7yuAqN3wRqS1hcJ6JUUoO17jW0le7DN6hNE-xpdezcuSVstXMJBgRAK4qGNRp4mfEsKahprl6MWOXcbMSzhLkovUqq6FiwXPp0tWYPWtRF7D8ozPZuQEM_cZMv8R866cj7o/s1600/imgres-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iRsGPLRN7yuAqN3wRqS1hcJ6JUUoO17jW0le7DN6hNE-xpdezcuSVstXMJBgRAK4qGNRp4mfEsKahprl6MWOXcbMSzhLkovUqq6FiwXPp0tWYPWtRF7D8ozPZuQEM_cZMv8R866cj7o/s1600/imgres-5.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It was as if the flames knew him. They swayed in unison with his movement. Glowing red fire responded as if he was Spirit, Wind whispering through.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="p1">
High steps of pale-colored moccasins rising and falling as he danced to a beat I could not hear. Fringed buckskin pants kissed crimson embers. His rattle danced high above his head. Amidst sizzling ruby red embers, I sensed droning sounds. Lively dancers chanted with heads bobbing and bodies flowing.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Others in our camp group had retired hours ago. Serita and I sat watch, tending the flames for a long time. The big logs we put on the fire flamed intensely. Embers then emerged, birthing new life as the thick fiery flames simmered. The burning coals produced a portal.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON6tWYG7snhPA8Wm_r4znGE2DvRHg6nEEr7sgOfXcLvadG-Gx0PxcUNnAPFFEwwtcKa1Uo-7sp3CaOlaoBINwZRcHy4q40ey998I05yITu9puPgZT-hZGNf1b0odqex5dPr4u5HL374U/s1600/ritual.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON6tWYG7snhPA8Wm_r4znGE2DvRHg6nEEr7sgOfXcLvadG-Gx0PxcUNnAPFFEwwtcKa1Uo-7sp3CaOlaoBINwZRcHy4q40ey998I05yITu9puPgZT-hZGNf1b0odqex5dPr4u5HL374U/s1600/ritual.jpg" height="260" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
As I write, I smell the clean air and see the night sky hanging low with the thick red fire bowl beckoning. I am still enchanted by her charms. I hear a loud whoop catching in my vocal chords. I see the spiral dance. I see painted faces as they dance, move and whirl, rattles shaking the sky.<br />
<br />
It is not now, but then.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I was careful not to disturb the fiery spirits. I was careful not to speak. My friend, Serita, kept a steady gaze into the flames and ember haze. The golden moon hung low in the sky. Stars twinkled. The night air was fresh, calm, and clear. Fragrances of throaty Chaparral and smoky sage merged with oak and pinon logs. I inhaled deeper, eyes fixed on the moving troupe’s fire dance.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It is past midnight when the embers subside. My dancing friends are gone. My throat catches as the last dancer fades. Serita and I pour water on dying embers and say good night. I lie still a long time, watching the stars through my tent flap.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
After a long hike the next day, Serita and I offer to get fresh water for our campsite. Serita is the first to ask. “Did you see a young buck inside the fire bowl last night dancing?”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizM2d4DEJd3CThbxlIZt-TIaVKye17rM5dRJxdOaxiGaO2B_sdhdd5s3iry2v_jJ1O20nyybqsbg27RQgdfJYQPgxeXUg8fRN4kSldGgU2SHtnGutYOK32utqhmMFB_cYs-ao_4yKF23Y/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizM2d4DEJd3CThbxlIZt-TIaVKye17rM5dRJxdOaxiGaO2B_sdhdd5s3iry2v_jJ1O20nyybqsbg27RQgdfJYQPgxeXUg8fRN4kSldGgU2SHtnGutYOK32utqhmMFB_cYs-ao_4yKF23Y/s1600/images-2.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Why did I let myself write this after years of silence? </i>My last two days were perfect days. Today had twists and turns. I got jarred. Others seeking respite hovered around me. I did not belong in stores amidst mundane chatter. I came home.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My inner voice soothed me: Stop. NOURISH YOURSELF.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I took small walks, sat in the sun, and prepared dinner early. No blog.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My inner knowing took me by surprise. “Write about the time when you were deeply nourished. Write about the fire dance.”</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
So, dear Reader, what captivating enchantment fed your soul that can now set your restless spirit free?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmb_wks29fwLUifmCOGbkR8W2JTk_XrUumhicPt7wpdbcduiOW68_0oPocWLBZVaOOkQAAe_9YdKOBE7dgHhKOpy4mFLNOcEZ79ZL2DF4eovg5geqR5DmJD5O-bfjHGaqi6_pODx4vhkU/s1600/2013_04_24_cubscouts+(69%2Bof%2B86).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmb_wks29fwLUifmCOGbkR8W2JTk_XrUumhicPt7wpdbcduiOW68_0oPocWLBZVaOOkQAAe_9YdKOBE7dgHhKOpy4mFLNOcEZ79ZL2DF4eovg5geqR5DmJD5O-bfjHGaqi6_pODx4vhkU/s1600/2013_04_24_cubscouts+(69%2Bof%2B86).jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-29812263267980534362014-10-03T08:01:00.001-07:002014-10-06T13:52:11.505-07:00FEEDING YOUR SOUL<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>467</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2662</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Namaste Global Vision</o:Company>
<o:Lines>22</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3269</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRexPhHyqddWShveBoMliB3mlAI9vILNSzDF4xg6-bQd9H7VMGJ-B2HuxntZdzW9msro2z6hxjDspGdvzvGYAKhKz6NtYnufh-yU1IlwF9Qn9SxrJCCeJjIwcY3CpxGE7Wc26oC6H874s/s1600/10632881_10152716797438769_8627771697276871342_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRexPhHyqddWShveBoMliB3mlAI9vILNSzDF4xg6-bQd9H7VMGJ-B2HuxntZdzW9msro2z6hxjDspGdvzvGYAKhKz6NtYnufh-yU1IlwF9Qn9SxrJCCeJjIwcY3CpxGE7Wc26oC6H874s/s1600/10632881_10152716797438769_8627771697276871342_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> was in the barn doing equine leadership
coaching yesterday. I’m also exploring what Carolyn Resnick calls, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">"<span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="http://www.carolynresnickblog.com/good-vibrations-sharing-territory%E2%84%A2/">Sharing Territory</a>.</b>"</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Over
the course of a week, I’ve shared territory with a squirrel, deer, horses and <b><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/09/until-cows-come-home.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">cows</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d;">.</span></b> Sharing territory is about fully inhabiting someone else’s worldview and listening
deeply. It’s about trusting the dance of partnership. It’s about just <i>being</i> together
before moving into work.<o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On
my walk up the mountain Monday, I came upon an industrious squirrel. Seeing me
approach, he was ready to run. I stopped walking. I simply stood, noticing the
sunlight reflection through the trees, rich red soil, and occasionally glancing
at my squirrel friend. He went on eating, finding nuts, and hiding them.<o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
thought about moving forward. He almost darted for higher ground. I walked
slowly. Curious, he moved closer. I moved a few inches and then let him cross
the road. It felt good, him trusting me to wait. It lifted my spirits, gave me
confidence, and left me refreshed.<o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yesterday,
entering the barn, I said hello to chickens, goats and horses. I assembled my
tools and let the horses sniff my camera. These horses and goats have the
freedom to be in the pasture and in stalls. Each horse moved closer; they let
me scratch behind their ears. One moved her head into my chest. A goat bleated
until I caressed him.<o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It
couldn’t have been clearer: Humans have Facebook and email; animals have
telepathy. <i>The squirrel, deers and cows communicated to the barn about my new
adventures in sharing territory.</i> Without debate, the horses read my
energy. I changed...and they knew it. We stood at their stalls in rich
communion.<o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gdgW8fsbDBDS4IskyiVY13thp_RA8wov8u8yvAi4SLzQAKO4OPI4o6x9FaTrZ8CNZEs-6bKeaSMMbQKGNVUX8hBZrCw_olQ6fgARdM4FZ0XJOivsulMG0_U_TugDbCb_ViDpfbe15oM/s1600/IMG_8983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gdgW8fsbDBDS4IskyiVY13thp_RA8wov8u8yvAi4SLzQAKO4OPI4o6x9FaTrZ8CNZEs-6bKeaSMMbQKGNVUX8hBZrCw_olQ6fgARdM4FZ0XJOivsulMG0_U_TugDbCb_ViDpfbe15oM/s1600/IMG_8983.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Karla Boyd, Copyright: Sky turning around for a better photo only by my thought</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Later
that day my friend, the ranch owner, opened up about changes in the herd. She
shared personal events. I dropped into yet a deeper layer of shared engagement
that continued into my client coaching and her big opening.<o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fast-forwarding
to today, I received an email from another good friend who was acknowledging
the need for our non-profit Namaste Global Vision leadership development work.
Did I know that a well-known <span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.news10.net/story/news/local/davis/2014/09/30/doctor-sophia-yin-dies/16510371/"><b>veterinarian had committed suicide</b></a>?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Suicide.
That’s one word I will be happy to NEVER<i> </i>hear again. How
could this be that veterinarians have a high rate of suicide? Well, simple,
it’s not; it’s a deep and long conversation. There are many layers to unpeel. These blogs explore a few issues rife in the animal steward community that
contribute to that statistic and offer pathways to positive change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p> </o:p>1.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b> <a href="http://jessicadolce.com/depression-suicide-animal-care-professions/">Burn-out and seeking help</a></b>.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2. We live in a western culture that promotes
killing as a solution</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/02/in-name-of-love.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>We need to shift paradigms and worldviews. </b></span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. FIRST DO NO HARM is a deep look at responsible
self-care and the <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/08/first-do-no-harm-quality-of-care.html">need for leadership development in the veterinarian community</a>. </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOU39pIM9CMPYbFualwJlrY6Gar7lG_Kaok44lf7FgeEQW0TGECsR9UfEmcBUPgLkJdQ1ke3F_URMyOL16qgBteKFM6PNKvRdqx24YI7DdLBxAQdwgOd88tcowwSAdUo9CAFTHqJ0Yo9Y/s1600/horses2-pano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOU39pIM9CMPYbFualwJlrY6Gar7lG_Kaok44lf7FgeEQW0TGECsR9UfEmcBUPgLkJdQ1ke3F_URMyOL16qgBteKFM6PNKvRdqx24YI7DdLBxAQdwgOd88tcowwSAdUo9CAFTHqJ0Yo9Y/s1600/horses2-pano.jpg" height="130" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Equine-guided coaching is not fringe. Learning to
share territory and space decreases isolation and feeds souls. Herd dynamics
have a lot to teach humans about how to be in community. Leadership development
is essential in learning how to stay in the game, aligned, whole and
inspirited.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What change is being asked of you? And, dear Reader, what is one thing that you will do today to nourish your one
precious life? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CJUyLaR9I2Qos0O7KIpod0yCrXZhs91fWun0WFNIDQ87-3jfmgy6snuoEVRqpdXqID4O6YxGMSLW26BNBnFausIyrzc3QSfCUBANI5PFz0TR0rkV9MLzz074pWXqwA5-DZ-dzj_7LBs/s1600/10527603_940150146010680_1298037349078416352_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CJUyLaR9I2Qos0O7KIpod0yCrXZhs91fWun0WFNIDQ87-3jfmgy6snuoEVRqpdXqID4O6YxGMSLW26BNBnFausIyrzc3QSfCUBANI5PFz0TR0rkV9MLzz074pWXqwA5-DZ-dzj_7LBs/s1600/10527603_940150146010680_1298037349078416352_n.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Ron McGinnis, used with permission</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>184</o:Words>
<o:Characters>1050</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Namaste Global Vision</o:Company>
<o:Lines>8</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>1289</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/10/feeding-your-soul_3.html">Feeding Your Soul</a><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-73904255129623496202014-09-26T09:18:00.000-07:002014-09-26T18:19:56.720-07:00UNTIL THE COWS COME HOME<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>1</o:Words>
<o:Characters>9</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Namaste Global Vision</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>11</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieA9rCdc0Bk5Y9Am5i_Xut-nexc6RnwdirazjMan2xiXziDq5_ss7A6x9MfhMBbqdZH2lsRpqorB6V0cvufSasScZG7mJ1SAZ_zAYqlNyk3KftOejFYhAo7f0EzlzG9eaSpHXPicqZ2A/s1600/IMG_8084_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieA9rCdc0Bk5Y9Am5i_Xut-nexc6RnwdirazjMan2xiXziDq5_ss7A6x9MfhMBbqdZH2lsRpqorB6V0cvufSasScZG7mJ1SAZ_zAYqlNyk3KftOejFYhAo7f0EzlzG9eaSpHXPicqZ2A/s1600/IMG_8084_2.JPG" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I am humming along these days, things unfolding in beautiful and harmonious ways. I also have this little voice that intrudes, <i>“Are we there yet?”</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This past Saturday, I was delighted when I emptied half my clothes closet onto my bed. This spontaneous impulse, formerly stifled, was set free. “<i>Clothes are on the bed; organization’s in the house! Yippee!”</i> I was happy, just BEING, sorting clothes by colors, creating order and space.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">In the last phase of organizing, appreciating color coordination, this little voice said, </span><i style="text-align: center;">“Yes, but what about Linked In? What about organizing the dresser drawers? What about that call you need to make?”</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
While it sounded like a dentist drilling inside my mouth, it was not an inner critic but a child’s whine.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I explored deeper. This impulse sabotages my happiness sometimes. She speaks to me of <i>TO DO LISTS</i>. She mistrusts “being in the now”.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I started WORKING early in life, putting out family fires. My poor amygdala! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://drbenkim.com/overcome-chronic-fear-anxiety.html">http://drbenkim.com/overcome-chronic-fear-anxiety.html</a></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-style: italic;"> </span></span>It’s <i>Horse Sentinel Syndrome</i>, scanning horizons for danger<i>.</i> </div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharsScm1PfhMgC98m2xr2GLnFwAfOqSqscmUO54sU-WBH5pqJBFEh8otSl4rbrmf60LvMnQrA24ZYfJ04rmPfE4rs7yEmM5YEB75dhIEnSUjVfMxCK0ZA3TpiHGMjHC6Zs2RsIewwxRqg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharsScm1PfhMgC98m2xr2GLnFwAfOqSqscmUO54sU-WBH5pqJBFEh8otSl4rbrmf60LvMnQrA24ZYfJ04rmPfE4rs7yEmM5YEB75dhIEnSUjVfMxCK0ZA3TpiHGMjHC6Zs2RsIewwxRqg/s1600/images.jpg" height="126" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
In equine-guided leadership, we teach that horses are herd <i>and</i> prey animals. As a herd they move together, promising greater safety from predators. Often in herd dynamics there is a lead mare who will let the others know <i>when to stay and when to move</i>. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
There is also a horse who stays outside this herd cluster. This sentinel is in the role of scanning the horizons, noting if things are safe. It's the sentinel's job to also notice if a coyote is on a hill. The sentinel then communicates this danger with the lead mare and the other horses so that the herd can move to safety.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ReMiEHjFJrzvCnzneNrhyphenhyphenCHy-SSRI4BiFspl8Md3dBmckkkOKXsMlTLJyUPuwIcFKXHAvaxObLfwBGQVINeCeraRQctSvmFO1tNxVqVjcQds0_K4szSmHGz1m5AskPXg5D-z4GMkjZU/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ReMiEHjFJrzvCnzneNrhyphenhyphenCHy-SSRI4BiFspl8Md3dBmckkkOKXsMlTLJyUPuwIcFKXHAvaxObLfwBGQVINeCeraRQctSvmFO1tNxVqVjcQds0_K4szSmHGz1m5AskPXg5D-z4GMkjZU/s1600/imgres.jpg" height="183" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
On a recent walk, I interviewed my inner child using a Psychosynthesis educational model that helps one have detachment to view various concerns and conflicts. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.aliharrison.com/psychosynthesis/Subpersonalities.html">http://www.aliharrison.com/psychosynthesis/Subpersonalities.html</a> </span>Turns out, this aspect of my identity needs my help to STOP<i> working</i> all the time! She’s perpetually on duty. She needs to trust “the moment, <i>this now</i>.” And know that it’s okay to be happy.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
As I contact her, cows come into view.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
From afar, one cow looks deeply into my eyes. I look back into hers. My heart quiets; my breath slows down. She is showing me what BEING looks like. This cow contentedly is, <i>well,</i> chewing on her cud. I hear her message.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“Do you understand? What I’m doing is as important as you working with animal stewards, or cleaning out your desk. I’m lying down, chewing. I’m fulfilling my destiny.”</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxqZU1lMqiSUU4jHSUzeEjtW-q7M-nuBzlHLrOZsVAP0OkUD_2lzlwaangmN-QJPSjGrNdBRnvtEnL3a6w6f2HBjhcpGM76m7L0GFDAtx59MfvCi8N6kwlomZ2WZIDnCMXxSj_z2gpho/s1600/kuehemors4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxqZU1lMqiSUU4jHSUzeEjtW-q7M-nuBzlHLrOZsVAP0OkUD_2lzlwaangmN-QJPSjGrNdBRnvtEnL3a6w6f2HBjhcpGM76m7L0GFDAtx59MfvCi8N6kwlomZ2WZIDnCMXxSj_z2gpho/s1600/kuehemors4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I listen. I walk slowly toward her. I feel this inner child soothed and grow quiet. Two cows further out walk over to the fence. I meet them. I don’t need to hand them grass or do anything. I just “be”<i>. </i>Curious, four other cows join us at the fence line. I am reminded of Carolyn Resnick’s blog about SHARING TERRITORY. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.carolynresnickblog.com%2Fgood-vibrations-sharing-territory%25E2%2584%25A2%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEh2xgcpPUGMK78oIoR6iJn1AXi_g"><span class="s2">http://www.carolynresnickblog.com/good-vibrations-sharing-territory™/</span></a> </span>It’s about being present, connected, not doing, Zen-like, "letting come". <span class="s1" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fconsultingforpassion.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F03%2Fwu-wei.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFzak21qSdUjRzkq6Rh2D5XsmfFNA">http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/03/wu-wei.html</a></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkH2sLsAf0K3kHqih6NiqTtTeIlbR40zX9XymdBrkv7XYEb5stkvCGxTQTQysEGD1SJWwYBN5Z_lzVtL5leLukrBNOnGF9VGQ8PdPOll7bVY1tyJFooqQ-S5tQtHCnG9EoUCQBzu6OISk/s1600/images-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkH2sLsAf0K3kHqih6NiqTtTeIlbR40zX9XymdBrkv7XYEb5stkvCGxTQTQysEGD1SJWwYBN5Z_lzVtL5leLukrBNOnGF9VGQ8PdPOll7bVY1tyJFooqQ-S5tQtHCnG9EoUCQBzu6OISk/s1600/images-3.jpg" height="320" width="312" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
In inaction, I’m connected. Another cow looks earnestly into my eyes. We stand close. I look into her large brown eyes<i>. </i>It’s the first time I’ve <i>seen</i> a cow<i>.</i> A veil drops; karla/soul meets cow/soul. I experience a profound peace. We are standing together in a field of love.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Later, I tell a friend about my Saturday interruption and what the cows just shared with me.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
No slouch to inner development, Beth responds: “Karla, I believe all of us, as women, have these eternal lists that keep us from nurturing ourselves. We’re compulsive and keep working, scanning for others’ unmet needs. Our lists don’t let us rest. It’s why we don’t easily take care of <b><i>what we need.</i></b> Or take time to just be.”</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Well, I’m no longer waiting until the cows come home. This moment, this blog, sharing territory with you and the cows <i>is enough.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Do you have a never-ending list, Reader, or are you content to just be?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryjW1r0o5h1sEdxnf1OgMB6FNsBDlV738fmSNxKKJofRGJnYsq5V-p_1Ds2iKOL8sA_PRiQvfFc7blk6LRMggKsjXDZaUypV7N888PnRvKdmo0MR2qYVbSXYKMuez-CxoSAAYonv7sxA/s1600/IMG_1600_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryjW1r0o5h1sEdxnf1OgMB6FNsBDlV738fmSNxKKJofRGJnYsq5V-p_1Ds2iKOL8sA_PRiQvfFc7blk6LRMggKsjXDZaUypV7N888PnRvKdmo0MR2qYVbSXYKMuez-CxoSAAYonv7sxA/s1600/IMG_1600_2.JPG" height="248" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 175.5pt;">
</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-4748477015967379172014-09-19T08:37:00.003-07:002014-09-19T10:10:23.247-07:00HOW TO BECOME A LEADER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCHwOm6tA6M6q7tttQbrNsiD-YCt8AjWLLnPtcZN3hELBIVGohlcypVZhlv8PWXKI8xiG80Wo16EeeXE1vA-stBkhyphenhyphenPSg5UZmZly6Y13LsyCyXjf927Fe9wH-W8PInNYLzFUOuLDgdcA/s1600/67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCHwOm6tA6M6q7tttQbrNsiD-YCt8AjWLLnPtcZN3hELBIVGohlcypVZhlv8PWXKI8xiG80Wo16EeeXE1vA-stBkhyphenhyphenPSg5UZmZly6Y13LsyCyXjf927Fe9wH-W8PInNYLzFUOuLDgdcA/s1600/67.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
As a child, I felt called to the Southwest. As a teen, I was selected to attend the Sangre de Cristo Mountains Girl Scout Roundup.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
I was privileged to visit Bandelier Mountain beauty, Puye Cliff and Mesa Dwellings, the Santa Clara Pueblo, known as the Kha’p’oo Owinge of the Santa Clara people. In the first days, my heart heals.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q72CClMspafPUnBZpFqHmKbJ-SegZfsS92ixY9U4RoWsDVUosCfoCxpO9ij_8nRsNjV6kB1fKf9pSNXvv1IdS8YhgO2A8E_dLL1QEWqvZvs25sUOoB5iaeXalK1g8jlY1i6WiTxR0xI/s1600/IMG_4730+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q72CClMspafPUnBZpFqHmKbJ-SegZfsS92ixY9U4RoWsDVUosCfoCxpO9ij_8nRsNjV6kB1fKf9pSNXvv1IdS8YhgO2A8E_dLL1QEWqvZvs25sUOoB5iaeXalK1g8jlY1i6WiTxR0xI/s1600/IMG_4730+(2).JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
We climb among ruins, mesas and kivas. Every pore of my being is satisfied. My eyes wide with vistas, mountain friendship, and ancestral whispers. It is the highlight of my journey.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALi9JwkM8B38NQfn19wsF0NmhzPAI_i67BbN569-XDzHOjl6D7Ydtbki9kKKswC588ALRXjsxjCOp6fNPjG7uwLLYPdgsSB0YInVYLNlwth8R2c45yy8surMxpiGixDlO3lb2FdqcAvo/s1600/puye-cliff-dwellings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALi9JwkM8B38NQfn19wsF0NmhzPAI_i67BbN569-XDzHOjl6D7Ydtbki9kKKswC588ALRXjsxjCOp6fNPjG7uwLLYPdgsSB0YInVYLNlwth8R2c45yy8surMxpiGixDlO3lb2FdqcAvo/s1600/puye-cliff-dwellings.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Our time of beauty goes quickly; thick red rock colors enter my soul. I keep a pottery fragment on my Puja table. I carry a shard in my medicine pouch.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeViT7BZ_s5VTLCq0hVUkfkuHHmvL3mjYxYmm1xzSqvaZZUwvDULTGSWzGxYfu9drhgwahoyDY_qwnBF88-LTR8WnMUK7bVgDy67xSaaXfyI2XVz4Joies9fTWS1HfWkcRn59XEcLSTw/s1600/IMG_8870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeViT7BZ_s5VTLCq0hVUkfkuHHmvL3mjYxYmm1xzSqvaZZUwvDULTGSWzGxYfu9drhgwahoyDY_qwnBF88-LTR8WnMUK7bVgDy67xSaaXfyI2XVz4Joies9fTWS1HfWkcRn59XEcLSTw/s1600/IMG_8870.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
On the last night of our gathering, Girl Scout Executive officers arrive. That day we’re divided into groups of four, with little instruction, to trek the mountain and then return to base camp, sharing our leadership experience.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Nancy and I emerge as group leaders. We watch each other out of the corners of our eyes. Later, we whisper: “<i>Do you know where we’re going?” “Nope, not a clue.” </i>The other girls follow us, oblivious.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Nancy and I provide confidence through humor and encouragement. Five hours later, it’s clear we’re lost. Nancy sees a paved road. We laugh as we hop the fence to reach our destination. Until I spy the bull.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuOdNCEnUobEGQjH8pe-NMAiknQ-hUStEbF1cirI8VGnWzu2wiks8HX0vWhDCn7fTP4A2IjnRU48SMAiLlUlh8_-J5I-Mz2ARIBP2wzxTbFSzyYEklD_C36c2nnpcF7zG7sMO2WeY-KY/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuOdNCEnUobEGQjH8pe-NMAiknQ-hUStEbF1cirI8VGnWzu2wiks8HX0vWhDCn7fTP4A2IjnRU48SMAiLlUlh8_-J5I-Mz2ARIBP2wzxTbFSzyYEklD_C36c2nnpcF7zG7sMO2WeY-KY/s1600/images.jpg" height="312" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
A shrill gasp catches the bull’s attention. Head down, he moves fast. We help each other over the barbed wired fencing, mere seconds from being gored.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
In “<i>never say never” </i>leadership, Nancy and I wipe away sweat and blood and stick out our thumbs. We need directions. Ignored, we form a human chain across the road.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G-ZKL7C9p7crbhKKljtN-hCNRFNJ86en9OXv17zYdQf75y41ilz_MBk-HutEISbnlScUkhlY5YL3PauhTUunUdX_HlPJdFR2JVMjxIpHxQ2YJwctalu4AZY0oLnEt9NaoFvlwYLtXtI/s1600/images-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G-ZKL7C9p7crbhKKljtN-hCNRFNJ86en9OXv17zYdQf75y41ilz_MBk-HutEISbnlScUkhlY5YL3PauhTUunUdX_HlPJdFR2JVMjxIpHxQ2YJwctalu4AZY0oLnEt9NaoFvlwYLtXtI/s1600/images-3.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Instead of looping back to camp, we discover we’ve missed our trailhead. We came down on <i>the wrong side of the mountain</i>, miles from camp. It’s too late to double back. We ride in our rescuer’s truck bed, heaped with unmentionables. It’s another reason I became vegetarian. <a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/07/confessions-of-vegetarian-day-i-heard.html">http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/07/confessions-of-vegetarian-day-i-heard.html</a><br />
<br />
We arrive at camp, bloodied and hungry, our blouses ripped. Worried adults meet us. Realizing we’re not seriously injured, terse voices inform us we have fifteen minutes to put on clean dress attire. Adult leaders cast meaningful glances to Executive Officers; they glower at us.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
Dauntless, we hatch a plan. In a huddle, we commit to the outrageous, hoping <i>to</i> <i>not be kicked out. </i>We quickly gather props and costumes. I pull my scout cap over my eyes. My shirt hangs out. Cindy wears her badge sash backwards over pajamas. We pull pockets inside out. We hold bug spray. Girls move away from us as we sit down for vespers.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
After witnessing other girls’ somber portrayals, our foursome stands, heads held high, bumbling our way to the head of the campfire. With perfect authority, we parody our story, mocking our leadership. Nancy throws a shoe at a bug. Linda sits, arms crossed, back turned from the audience, refusing to move. We spray her with bug spray, yanking her up. We misquote Girl Scout slogans.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>“A Girl Scout never prepares. She makes stuff up as she goes.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEgYePB2W39xh4i93SDW5dx8dJ5uYpZhd2EuiujkR-G-DKkVY6J4xC1FWuLg32pDv8uvVVwtatd_hpdxVX4IIDkjCQwzFcPXVvXN2fjnREAE4RZ0xEHyjyf0abfdPVLOca-eYRVHknQo/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEgYePB2W39xh4i93SDW5dx8dJ5uYpZhd2EuiujkR-G-DKkVY6J4xC1FWuLg32pDv8uvVVwtatd_hpdxVX4IIDkjCQwzFcPXVvXN2fjnREAE4RZ0xEHyjyf0abfdPVLOca-eYRVHknQo/s1600/images-2.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Transformed as actors, we command amusement from girls and officials alike. Nancy and I act out our sham, leading the way<i>,</i> as more laughter erupts. With the “bull” onstage, we push and shove one another, climbing over imaginary barbed wire fencing. We bring the house down.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfxyd-nSRAW8ykaN4YhDR-D5fgaMRl0NnoolBBUdabJ5AMGuk1Yol_iA0TjF1-IxbysurxwWk9MuhXt-E8aeNf0mq0vlEEOWtMCe36qBKuKiIIoswnz3aV497bOdq8KwFVHb2Lhx5hME/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfxyd-nSRAW8ykaN4YhDR-D5fgaMRl0NnoolBBUdabJ5AMGuk1Yol_iA0TjF1-IxbysurxwWk9MuhXt-E8aeNf0mq0vlEEOWtMCe36qBKuKiIIoswnz3aV497bOdq8KwFVHb2Lhx5hME/s1600/images-1.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It’s my best leadership lesson: Situations pending disaster can shift through humor, honesty and engagement. I’m reminded of my last Equine Lesson, only days ago: <i>There are no mistakes. Only learning.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>So, Reader, what experience led you to greater authenticity and connection?</i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-24275826976997524502014-09-12T07:42:00.000-07:002014-09-12T09:38:16.379-07:00THIS IS THE BIGGEST ONE ON RECORD, FOLKS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF962OEHixo-P1FIlD6xw9F1vRIaOw2QYYZbY_g1IVDK7MYOqUhszh28tjLt0gQ-G2SxSva3xv1jCGxwVxkK1nwNF0VPbLD0QazO9gH9X0eLWHNadU5pWgkizNSO2hfaLGNtXm-52VZsM/s1600/Evening-Light-on-Sangre-d-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF962OEHixo-P1FIlD6xw9F1vRIaOw2QYYZbY_g1IVDK7MYOqUhszh28tjLt0gQ-G2SxSva3xv1jCGxwVxkK1nwNF0VPbLD0QazO9gH9X0eLWHNadU5pWgkizNSO2hfaLGNtXm-52VZsM/s1600/Evening-Light-on-Sangre-d-007.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Girl Scouts w</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">o</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ke up early one morning in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, giggling. We peeked out from collapsed tents, swept together in a heap from the flash flood. Rain drenched</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> and</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> breathless with laughter, we crawled out into thick mud.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIlnidejaiN5SGnpu7pEpwxgNuhjQMpt-8VPdhU4nhJR7v8kA7g3MhyJoJwREUZWXoNAAkL-1rai95IEq18ZL5l_83oocvgnP7qiOy3_tORlzfJNCXtAMyhsp_igoosmr_5ZGRcxcktE/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIlnidejaiN5SGnpu7pEpwxgNuhjQMpt-8VPdhU4nhJR7v8kA7g3MhyJoJwREUZWXoNAAkL-1rai95IEq18ZL5l_83oocvgnP7qiOy3_tORlzfJNCXtAMyhsp_igoosmr_5ZGRcxcktE/s1600/images-1.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">On our travels to the Rio Grande, college friends and I encounter lightning ripping open the sky. Thunder crashe</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">d...l</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ightshow and rumblings.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22o0ozKdPXHfrLOWKPMjn-O3pKIwD0VqLcti_LHnbhBFkeq8yG3JAAYUAwrZay4JaKOVA3n5rtt1TlmSnfagaGaovSRw5jYYAkFj3vUj5rX6IPNiPcSfbE4LzY826t_KTeo0OFG5K4WI/s1600/imgres-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22o0ozKdPXHfrLOWKPMjn-O3pKIwD0VqLcti_LHnbhBFkeq8yG3JAAYUAwrZay4JaKOVA3n5rtt1TlmSnfagaGaovSRw5jYYAkFj3vUj5rX6IPNiPcSfbE4LzY826t_KTeo0OFG5K4WI/s1600/imgres-1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Later, we wended our way around a mountain bend in Mexico as</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> donkeys grazed</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">, o</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ur eyes meeting massive red rock vistas</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">; u</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ntil the snow came, stopping us in our tracks. We hovered outside, with no plan, just laughter. Later, someone says </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">it was the first snow in 100 years!</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">In Gila, New Mexico, a flash flood pound</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ed</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> the road. We forded the stream. A gentleman later sits with us drinking coffee. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">This is the worst storm we’ve had in fifty years. Glad you got across. You could have sunk, hydroplaned or blown out your carburetors. All the roads are down. Stay put!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Laughing, we f</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ou</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">nd an abandoned shack. We holed up for about a week, hiking in between showers, waiting on the road to be dug out.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_k_p1ZsRdwhNw4hMd90E6M9GK0eUl3wBYUj9X_FhmBV3UXGuUpt_lnHCze2qkJKuiBqVyZobSD0vnyiBP62FXcScsi33YEHhlJCFdjsqYyZF44D1MGUdj_6c93j5X6Yfi1whhAZNiz30/s1600/IMG_8678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_k_p1ZsRdwhNw4hMd90E6M9GK0eUl3wBYUj9X_FhmBV3UXGuUpt_lnHCze2qkJKuiBqVyZobSD0vnyiBP62FXcScsi33YEHhlJCFdjsqYyZF44D1MGUdj_6c93j5X6Yfi1whhAZNiz30/s1600/IMG_8678.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Storm</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">y</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> weather warnings c</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">me as we neared Death Valley. We’re treated, instead, to the first wildflowers in over 100 years.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6wxcmARYLQcR_z4qaX15abRSA-T2NGA0Ash_FBxbX4EKhyAvkfiZDtf0ur8zbDKggr9NK5ZdRNOFFtq8kldDKQ8tpiE2fa0BXkG9cUR_DJatl05bwQ_MdlfCuqmlK9rDXtFkHuD55hY/s1600/Death_Valley_flowers03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6wxcmARYLQcR_z4qaX15abRSA-T2NGA0Ash_FBxbX4EKhyAvkfiZDtf0ur8zbDKggr9NK5ZdRNOFFtq8kldDKQ8tpiE2fa0BXkG9cUR_DJatl05bwQ_MdlfCuqmlK9rDXtFkHuD55hY/s1600/Death_Valley_flowers03.jpg" height="209" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Before I boarded my plane for Phoenix days ago, I dr</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">e</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">w angel cards: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">Creativity, Willingness, Play and Humor.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> Hmmm, good ones.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">But I did not wake up laughing this past Monday at </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">3:00</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> am.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MvcyxFWrNjyLbHRpilQ6qX68-d8pU4vhUHQ4MmG5VHkBNmS7gX4d7c7ICnnrz5p6vSYuH9oYdOxTja8mRGw9_A5R-jyginmDZeTnfAUgdAQZKYuTumQ630UCK6CrvzlshPHK0hO2EGI/s1600/imgres-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MvcyxFWrNjyLbHRpilQ6qX68-d8pU4vhUHQ4MmG5VHkBNmS7gX4d7c7ICnnrz5p6vSYuH9oYdOxTja8mRGw9_A5R-jyginmDZeTnfAUgdAQZKYuTumQ630UCK6CrvzlshPHK0hO2EGI/s1600/imgres-3.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Thunder explode</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">d</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">. Lightning snatche</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">d</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> my dreams. Puppy dog is plastered against my leg. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay, doggers,” I say to the dogs outside my bedroom door. But my thoughts aren’t quiet.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">They said the storms are quick. Something isn’t right. Any doors blown open? How are the dogs? Horses? Friends? I can’t let the dogs out; the roof is metal. Might get struck by lightning.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">I s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">t in my friends’ home, quieting my mind. Electric sky ke</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">pt</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> falling, thunder crack</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ed</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Sitting in their Great Room behind a solid wall of glass with no separation between the outside and inside. Nature invited herself in and she planned to stay. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">My thoughts return to horses. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"><b>I can’t see them from here.</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> I consider dashing to the barn. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">But what if I fall, or lightning strikes. Or the lights go out? What good am I, then?</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">I calm the dogs. I sense the horses are okay. I say mantrams and send love to each horse. I send love to the dogs. I send love to the storm, to Arizona, to all animals and people. I sen</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">d</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> love to my friends </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">who are </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">fast asleep, hearing only ocean waves as they drift. I let myself feel successful</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">, having kept</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> everyone safe.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">I calm down. With lightning flashing and thunder bursting, I meditate and send out more love.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">I confirm my intuition: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">flash flood warning in effect all day.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> I cuddle the dogs, sending out more love. I send love to the horse handlers, family and friends. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">Please keep everyone safe. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">In a momentary storm lull, I let the dogs out and visit the horses.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">I remember what a mentor said about recent earthquakes and storms:</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 27pt; margin-right: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 27pt; margin-right: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">“</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic;">If more people don't do the loving shift within themselves, the earth will move even more.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 13pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">I visit the horses again, send love, give dog cookies and soon, I’m inundated with phone calls, emails, texts and Face</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">b</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ook messages.</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">Roads are down.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">Can you feed the horses? Special blends.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> Drat the phone went dead. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">Which bin?</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Muddy dog walks, horsey visits</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> communications, a friend stops over. I finally breathe easy about </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">4:00</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> pm.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYDb8Q40bB9HPVxHknCErsWhjnK-EYGY-et7BuTZbe8kBXNrBix_y3NAK6dGwk9UIO_piBskLXrOvW9bItfd7BWl1kDPXG4xF4rT5HSEtSZJFVzSHxVs7yF7wkmXHPWv1r4rrh1DuuNw/s1600/IMG_8828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYDb8Q40bB9HPVxHknCErsWhjnK-EYGY-et7BuTZbe8kBXNrBix_y3NAK6dGwk9UIO_piBskLXrOvW9bItfd7BWl1kDPXG4xF4rT5HSEtSZJFVzSHxVs7yF7wkmXHPWv1r4rrh1DuuNw/s1600/IMG_8828.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">I had it right earlier</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LAUGH. Let the tents fall; stay stuck in Gila. EVERYONE IS SAFE AND FED. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Happy, I take all three dogs to swim and chase each other around the pool. Later, we do dog walks </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">and a few more</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> visits to the horses.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hHeju3v0bBfhyQfX2M88FcREDoX7XKmXEwKf0bSxGg4Hiac7Hyp6I9Mh29ixQ90Wmn2TeIWoS98RbrLAMnSoGht8U1jZFcKYvoyw_Db66wjQz2tRyWwFSDMokzy3sr0svZrcpejsnMo/s1600/IMG_8821_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hHeju3v0bBfhyQfX2M88FcREDoX7XKmXEwKf0bSxGg4Hiac7Hyp6I9Mh29ixQ90Wmn2TeIWoS98RbrLAMnSoGht8U1jZFcKYvoyw_Db66wjQz2tRyWwFSDMokzy3sr0svZrcpejsnMo/s1600/IMG_8821_2.JPG" height="314" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Good ol’ Southwest, never lets me down.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZzfs_-rSmuEZGfyKKgVbDTeyR022i32BJeqHHpL5AKNeiv43rr-ygn_koJH1sdH15nP69jv8CsonUrArqxHTjMv8SD5uUu7heasnoXuC66WZYnfDbfs7LxJnOG3lZjVKzsNf2kOcyKc/s1600/IMG_8865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZzfs_-rSmuEZGfyKKgVbDTeyR022i32BJeqHHpL5AKNeiv43rr-ygn_koJH1sdH15nP69jv8CsonUrArqxHTjMv8SD5uUu7heasnoXuC66WZYnfDbfs7LxJnOG3lZjVKzsNf2kOcyKc/s1600/IMG_8865.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">So, Reader, what adventure helped you weather the storms? And what loving shifts will you make for the good of all?</span></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJbjtaFccfGCPgOvWxd-7XZkQ2jHrDts5quYpllfSeRIEhrj3V7ww3FL8wMYxmh43jncFFZO6nswgiC7WDVcv5AiVWRe8OX2G8BH7KkXOcVEDJckhq_C1WBAg78AacuiY7qA6awHsvT0/s1600/IMG_8705_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJbjtaFccfGCPgOvWxd-7XZkQ2jHrDts5quYpllfSeRIEhrj3V7ww3FL8wMYxmh43jncFFZO6nswgiC7WDVcv5AiVWRe8OX2G8BH7KkXOcVEDJckhq_C1WBAg78AacuiY7qA6awHsvT0/s1600/IMG_8705_2.JPG" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-53901143815186920102014-09-04T08:42:00.000-07:002014-09-04T13:14:33.690-07:00MONKS, MONKEYS AND REFUGE-THE JOURNEY BEGINS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sL0OMPXE-yH7Mrt0VcE5dibflw6l940pjkQ4iUcLim4QpviIqqbt9b9LrIzz4uYvH2apCCDcRTb4kxiQHgmLN8lAHUqGh4Wgn243GC819d7cVn8C1YpVImXXkBMyg1H8mDpgjw0vBF0/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sL0OMPXE-yH7Mrt0VcE5dibflw6l940pjkQ4iUcLim4QpviIqqbt9b9LrIzz4uYvH2apCCDcRTb4kxiQHgmLN8lAHUqGh4Wgn243GC819d7cVn8C1YpVImXXkBMyg1H8mDpgjw0vBF0/s1600/images-2.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<i>It’s a longer distance from monks to monkeys than you think.</i></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<i> Karla Boyd</i></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[The Buddha] tried to persuade [the monks] to live in peace, speaking out</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> against</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> disharmony again and again, but when he saw that there who were not responding,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> he decided to go to the forest.</span></i></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i> </i></b> <i>Eknath Easwaran</i></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: left;">
Some of us are in a global renaissance of positive communication cultures aligned with harmonious actions. AND more organizations need to “up” their commitment to providing leadership development to stakeholders. Individuals need to be groomed in good vibrations and how to let go of the muck. (<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fnamasteglobalvision.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2FNamasteDeclaringNewFuture-3%2520copy.pdf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGSoity0jdXSipXkBzUNeSG4z91pg"><span class="s1">http://namasteglobalvision.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NamasteDeclaringNewFuture-3%20copy.pdf</span></a>)</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
Recently, I learned about organizations brewing trouble. The common theme was personal conflicts; some veiled and others, blatant and ambushing. Both styles were causing breakdown, one organization destroying its best leadership. It boiled down to a few things: unhealthy communication, team member disrespect and little personal leadership development.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qVPhyphenhyphenQ_lM01QQ59uut7nTIVcfRKX1gxn_46MZci8DxpaZAUx-CtLEejjAs8bFXuE4sx5MqtCmrFTL_fyXL_8zN2ZQTTl7wruow6vu0bqRSU_0EZn8afSiCMu1Ssh-IhyphenhyphenUPQn2TM0aXM/s1600/imgres-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qVPhyphenhyphenQ_lM01QQ59uut7nTIVcfRKX1gxn_46MZci8DxpaZAUx-CtLEejjAs8bFXuE4sx5MqtCmrFTL_fyXL_8zN2ZQTTl7wruow6vu0bqRSU_0EZn8afSiCMu1Ssh-IhyphenhyphenUPQn2TM0aXM/s1600/imgres-3.jpg" height="162" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<span class="s2">In a recent blog post<b>, </b></span>FIRST, DO NO HARM: THE QUALITY OF CARE, (<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fconsultingforpassion.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F08%2Ffirst-do-no-harm-quality-of-care.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH6PgLNewnXmKNR9Vt1mdNGYnfy6A"><span class="s1"><b>http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/08/first-do-no-harm-quality-of-care.html</b></span></a>)<span style="font-size: x-small;">,</span> I write about the Hippocratic oath. What would happen if OUR first order of business is “<i>first, do no harm?”</i> What if organizations invested in ALL stakeholders having leadership development? What if we became positive alignment organizations?</div>
<div class="p7">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
Meditation teacher Eknath Easwaran chronicles a story about the Buddha.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="s3">[1]</span> </span>The Buddha goes into exile because the monks would not stop their bickering. I’m sure some of you can relate. The monks were miserable when the Buddha left.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
The Buddha, however, has a marvelous time. An elephant, delighted to be with the Buddha, bows down in respect. After a bit, the elephant goes off in search of his friend, the monkey. They return with bananas, juicy mangos and leaves for the Buddha. In the evening, the elephant makes a bed of leaves for the Buddha and keeps watch over him.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bYrEXw6MFq5H46UN7segIWZQbkYHVhosituUBWML7Wy2P80dhLXP2XKXxi18KLao7LccFlQn9tBYkRNSFAxZB2RDxWtltIDIjuyK-VuJeeAhPvPw6KRhgaaUaGqfGxjOJ55aC_4TSTs/s1600/images-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bYrEXw6MFq5H46UN7segIWZQbkYHVhosituUBWML7Wy2P80dhLXP2XKXxi18KLao7LccFlQn9tBYkRNSFAxZB2RDxWtltIDIjuyK-VuJeeAhPvPw6KRhgaaUaGqfGxjOJ55aC_4TSTs/s1600/images-3.jpg" height="168" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
Isn’t it wonderful when team members are aligned in harmony and flow? When that happens, ease and friendship show up. In our story, the monkey, elephant and the Buddha go to the river and play together for days, joyously happy. The monks however, lagging behind, are stuck in negativity and gloom. </div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
In <span class="s4"><u>Naked Liberty</u></span>, Carolyn Resnick writes that wild horses taught her the value of leadership training:</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Leadership behavior is a good thing when it supports the well-being of each individual and keeps the peace. I could see the dominant horses wanting to be led when Mustano led them back to their kinder ways and checked them for their bad behavior. Such leadership gives dominant horses security.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2] </span></i></div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
Completing our Buddha story, the monks realized that their disputes and negative minds drove away noble leadership. Ready to make a change, they asked the Buddha to return.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
As the monks met the monkey and elephant, they discovered the meaning of respect. The monkey and elephant embodied love and honor for the Buddha. The monks saw the personal work they needed to do to align as a harmonious team–<i>like the team that the elephant and monkey were.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSbXuXvg3D0d863T410C0oVteLlGaDgQCElIlu-83POU2BQN_ZpzYkhnEDLBXYSaGTfIibCKU6EyTmcl6pBrTH6u3nWArlkMaLkbO9KfN5i_Y41e3dQf7vdn3VYmx0wsFCDg79WwTZ58/s1600/IMG_3051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSbXuXvg3D0d863T410C0oVteLlGaDgQCElIlu-83POU2BQN_ZpzYkhnEDLBXYSaGTfIibCKU6EyTmcl6pBrTH6u3nWArlkMaLkbO9KfN5i_Y41e3dQf7vdn3VYmx0wsFCDg79WwTZ58/s1600/IMG_3051.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p6">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
People and organizations need coaching in order to manifest core values and visions. All need support and empowerment. Many require recovery from toxic cultures. The key ingredient to succeed? WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
Reader, what commitment will you make to personal leadership development? And has a horse, childhood dog or encounter with wildlife helped you become more loving?</div>
<div class="p6">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QHBPzWfMRF55rxAAlf8cBk5CD4I6NS3EqJ06ZzfvexfCY1wuAm032BLCvqKDutcJQORlndSm_0CLK38aBJ_UNGYr6D0dkbUphoRrg_js-7NIMuCKIJn0a3ofr4rn7nTiEZ7AIc7yA1Q/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QHBPzWfMRF55rxAAlf8cBk5CD4I6NS3EqJ06ZzfvexfCY1wuAm032BLCvqKDutcJQORlndSm_0CLK38aBJ_UNGYr6D0dkbUphoRrg_js-7NIMuCKIJn0a3ofr4rn7nTiEZ7AIc7yA1Q/s1600/images-1.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p6">
<br /></div>
<div class="p9">
<br /></div>
<div class="p9">
<br /></div>
<div class="p9">
<br /></div>
<div class="p10">
<br /></div>
<div class="p10">
<br /></div>
<div class="p10">
<br /></div>
<div class="p11">
<br /></div>
<div class="p9">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p12">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="s5">[1]</span><span class="s6"> </span><span class="s4"><u>Essence of the Dhammapada: The Buddhist’s Call to Nirvana</u> by Eknath Easwaran</span>; Nilgiri Press, 2013</span></div>
<div class="p13">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="s5">[2]</span><u><span class="s7"> </span><span class="s4">Naked Liberty</span> </u>by Carolyn Resnick, Amigo Publications, Inc., 2005</span></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-89694393989017535862014-08-29T07:30:00.000-07:002014-08-29T14:33:44.826-07:00GETTING TO YES AND STAYING THERE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibkOUWU59thAxlB1w9W7tI60ZA5fwgHFY0IfdT_pgjppzG_QbhdsLNaUZa_Zzibv_4KqdaDdgrU3sUVd3f71gj3Dmn59_FDz1Fb8KkbPFFlzmxhTMy3f_Re1eAHuYUNzIRvYyVDFzVr4/s1600/divergent-tracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibkOUWU59thAxlB1w9W7tI60ZA5fwgHFY0IfdT_pgjppzG_QbhdsLNaUZa_Zzibv_4KqdaDdgrU3sUVd3f71gj3Dmn59_FDz1Fb8KkbPFFlzmxhTMy3f_Re1eAHuYUNzIRvYyVDFzVr4/s1600/divergent-tracks.jpg" height="188" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
How many of you have gone down a road so long that you think it’s your contribution?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
As early as five years old, people asked if I could help with their problems. It wasn’t just children; it was adults, too. Later, I found careers that put this skill to use. One of my bosses once asked me if my being successful in resolving problems was because I wanted her job. Huh?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Yes, <i>but,</i> if you keep on doing the same thing, what do you get? In my case: <i>More problems</i>!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Luckily, what also came naturally was seeing the good in everyone. I see positive futures and how to get there. Mid-careers, I found my true calling as a leadership consultant.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Being asked to help others solve problems did not disappear overnight, and it kept negative world views operational. Leadership development sees what’s working in people and organizations. Helping others to solve problems keeps you seeing what’s wrong.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
It took integrity, transformation, and the support of mentors and friends for me to quit this habit. I was like a worn out dog who had given birth to too many litters.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Appreciative Inquiry, a leadership model, has this saying: “What you appreciate, appreciates.” If you’re constantly available to help others solve problems, <i>you’re calling in more problems.</i> If you want peace, <i>then appreciate the peace in the world</i>. You need to "see" what you want and that allows you to build that on that foundation and move into that pathway.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
If want more wild horses, elephants and chimpanzees roaming free, <i>appreciate the ones that are</i>. If you want people happy and well, s<i>ee them happy and well.</i> “What you appreciate, appreciates.”</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I’m no longer available for problems. I work with colleagues and clients who say “yes” to living and building on their strengths. It’s a myth that negative images inspire people to fix stuff; it brings people down. Seeing what works inspires action.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJkFwrVtj4GhKLjpI1WvkhQEoHYbs6mUhTz-Zk7VRuqsR6GSZgw3Y6t661B1vaRs2gwto6sY3_fix6XvbfjI3ae3hyfRlkZTgVlQTWFmw7o7VhtVs5MBUMUW8LyJCV__vkTEkDdGvk2w/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJkFwrVtj4GhKLjpI1WvkhQEoHYbs6mUhTz-Zk7VRuqsR6GSZgw3Y6t661B1vaRs2gwto6sY3_fix6XvbfjI3ae3hyfRlkZTgVlQTWFmw7o7VhtVs5MBUMUW8LyJCV__vkTEkDdGvk2w/s1600/images-1.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Today, someone on Facebook posted a video of Ellen talking with Gladys from Austin, Texas. I laughed and laughed! <a href="http://youtu.be/-jeCL9f2NNI"><span class="s1">http://youtu.be/-jeCL9f2NNI</span></a>. We’re all Gladys; we want it both ways. We want the good stuff while we dabble in the dark and negative. And we lose out on free trips to the Ellen show. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
In my life and work, I’ve joined a myriad of Facebook positive voices that post positive media communications. We’re creating a vortex of good energy to dip into.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s2">There are many doing this; <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fprofile.php%3Fid%3D486122528080113&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFYZNtyDBOhuHnzEJHNtaJHQPW62g"><span class="s3">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=486122528080113</span></a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fiamlivingpositive%2Finfo&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHi0QoiFLpFSBRIEnUN4hASXZkgxg"><span class="s3">https://www.facebook.com/iamlivingpositive/info</span></a> are two. Namaste Global Vision also shares inspiration: <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2FNamaste-Global-Vision%2F212980952072457&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGB1Kv6MGvo6oZmuSdtBFyofbUf9A"><span class="s3">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Namaste-Global-Vision/212980952072457</span></a></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
This past weekend, I heard some difficult and sad news. When I shared it with a mentor, she encouraged me to offer my joy in the next days and months. Intelligent lady. She knew I couldn’t dwell on this sadness and be able to shift into my joy.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Monday, I posted this on Facebook:</div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
JOIN ME IN WRITING THIS FUN-LOVING "BLOG" ABOUT JOY AND HAPPINESS.</div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G-Dk_KnIzHytnL1z065s-q3THrunmSicoLjBs7aKoiEtErSP8G7OKt1bmXiK0oMCogI9fOiBnFsKwTRwvcTV_8tZtpwL5YSGDgu9dy8WL5AI6QvizUcRtTpDkDLogSDYx6L5Aymmij0/s1600/image00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G-Dk_KnIzHytnL1z065s-q3THrunmSicoLjBs7aKoiEtErSP8G7OKt1bmXiK0oMCogI9fOiBnFsKwTRwvcTV_8tZtpwL5YSGDgu9dy8WL5AI6QvizUcRtTpDkDLogSDYx6L5Aymmij0/s1600/image00.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
Two Words. I’ll start.</div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
The next person adds two words.</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
It posted for three days with twelve contributors:</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
Me: I Delight</div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
Tamara: In Animal’s</div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Wendy: L</span><span class="s5">oving Expressions</span></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s4">Words</span>: Begin Within</div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s5"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s5"> </span><span class="s2">Debbie: </span><span class="s5">Sharing Gratitude</span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
Me: F<span class="s5">or Unseen</span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
Castagne: Bubbles of Joy</div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s4"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s4">Kim: </span> I Can't Imagine</div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s5"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s5"> </span><span class="s2">Sharon: </span><span class="s5">Universal Peace</span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s5"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s5"> </span><span class="s2">Me: </span><span class="s5">And Yet</span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
Sabia:<span class="s5"> Love Reigns</span></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s4"> </span> Ambika: Inviting You</div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Kim:</span><span class="s5"> To Feel</span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
Sandy: <span class="s5"> The Warmth</span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Kim: </span><span class="s5">And Power</span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
Merrilee: O<span class="s5">f Kindness</span></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s4">Me: T</span>hat Gives</div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Kim:</span> Us EVERYTHING!!!! </div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: left;">
Reader, what are your two words? What shift did you make to a positive path?</div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPyOS6vaSPNNvzuBJXTaDWcHEH3_2du7lS_XmJPSdMEX_msXG6C3gAse8SkM3ZpRFaMlWhHIp2FUzJmfzt0gZXKoxNK8tP8TvlYNULcFYGSYBlYD9Vry2GzaWlNguaKaCjd-5dVcUX5o/s1600/Beautiful-World.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPyOS6vaSPNNvzuBJXTaDWcHEH3_2du7lS_XmJPSdMEX_msXG6C3gAse8SkM3ZpRFaMlWhHIp2FUzJmfzt0gZXKoxNK8tP8TvlYNULcFYGSYBlYD9Vry2GzaWlNguaKaCjd-5dVcUX5o/s1600/Beautiful-World.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-16030168204152150382014-08-22T07:09:00.000-07:002014-08-22T07:11:03.387-07:00FIRST, DO NO HARM: THE QUALITY OF CARE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMuKAmdOtG-bjD51qAkNuGGnvyXEWetqvWrmre3A0Pkeez8oXyvkMNuUnJE6yNk_0kb4g4JdVCAkS1iNuuosgPRVmOFfdvZcFQbruuHJwlWYp7uG5tNcBydBpFYEJ9cyXUBffmGO4U54/s1600/grad094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMuKAmdOtG-bjD51qAkNuGGnvyXEWetqvWrmre3A0Pkeez8oXyvkMNuUnJE6yNk_0kb4g4JdVCAkS1iNuuosgPRVmOFfdvZcFQbruuHJwlWYp7uG5tNcBydBpFYEJ9cyXUBffmGO4U54/s1600/grad094.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
Recently, I was asked to say more about what it means to care. Imagine my surprise when I “Googled” the Hippocratic oath:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<b>I will </b><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMedical_prescription%23History&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEQ63u0WNGrtr6qeh8yMZZ17Mf_EA"><span class="s1"><b>prescribe</b></span></a><b> regimens for the good of my patients according to </b></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<b>my ability and my </b><b>judgment and </b><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPrimum_non_nocere&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEvdYuWAAuvSQiCRvFVN9BnzDjILw"><span class="s1"><b>never do harm</b></span></a><b> to anyone.</b></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: center;">
<b>I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked.</b></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
As a child, I knew two doctors who abused this oath. In college, I found a caring physician who listened to my needs BEFORE prescribing treatment, putting me on extended bed rest. Late in life, I was privileged to work with a doctor who, through guided imagery, helped me resolve chronic health issues.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2YATmoyvdiF-GC_vxEvEQ9eliLwXF18CbKTxj35wkS00qbF5RzVkJjuKVsOH6tVjTwUJ7oIU3zTr-0auaAT2UqLEaAMFtJUzvgyFsJzNh7SNNl-Lou-6M5TtElC4fRFw33I3FRwUakU/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ2YATmoyvdiF-GC_vxEvEQ9eliLwXF18CbKTxj35wkS00qbF5RzVkJjuKVsOH6tVjTwUJ7oIU3zTr-0auaAT2UqLEaAMFtJUzvgyFsJzNh7SNNl-Lou-6M5TtElC4fRFw33I3FRwUakU/s1600/images-2.jpg" height="118" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I’ve worked with many gifted doctors and healers. Cranial osteopaths helped me heal brain injuries and a spinal issue, thus avoiding surgery. The Osteopaths’ oath adds this to “caring”:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<b>…keeping in mind always nature's laws and the body's </b></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<b>inherent </b><b>capacity for recovery.</b></div>
<div class="p7">
<span class="s2"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.osteopathic.org%2Finside%2520aoa%2Fabout%2Fleadership%2FPages%2Fosteopathic-oath.aspx&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFiWPG160BF6RblJbV--h8wbqRp9Q"><span class="s3">http://www.osteopathic.org/inside aoa/about/leadership/Pages/osteopathic-oath.aspx</span></a>)</span></span></div>
<div class="p7">
<span class="s2"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNm7RzX7pzPY702aDDJWPERdoDAxQQ8AOV4PiWslCAdnU1DyHX3f25RLjwdJTyGtCizi_MkQjUc5h1pAN6RlUN6ujO6Ps3PMWqdj8CoIwb9lsGukVw2VitL93-TQNuQRay3nuf4zfe7c/s1600/imgres-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNm7RzX7pzPY702aDDJWPERdoDAxQQ8AOV4PiWslCAdnU1DyHX3f25RLjwdJTyGtCizi_MkQjUc5h1pAN6RlUN6ujO6Ps3PMWqdj8CoIwb9lsGukVw2VitL93-TQNuQRay3nuf4zfe7c/s1600/imgres-2.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></a></div>
<div class="p7">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
After having been misdiagnosed for years, acupuncturist Dr. Yet Ki Lai moved me to tears. He knew my symptoms <b><i>AND DIAGNOSIS</i></b>. Without prompting, he described exactly what it was like living inside my body.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
While many Western doctors were confounded, others invalidated me saying that I was not ill. Dr. Lai diagnosed me in the late stages of my illness. He told me to get a Lyme test. He knew that a confirmation would allow me to be taken seriously. Dr. Lai embodies Sun Simaio’s Oath of care:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<b>I will be devoted to the task of saving the sacred spark of life in </b></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<b>every </b><b>creature that still carries it. </b></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJU0GC4e8zUl4yAnVoh5T2YmWYhOtyRbkEbe8mWtDRkuSu7WbfuAFBKL1OmOugO-gDH_ALlmlxA6i4QY8ovjjLKBB4_rPR3evJBi96Qs90UKgDC1BkBDWmtDn6BszILuOjvrpdOXrzGM/s1600/chinese_watermark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJU0GC4e8zUl4yAnVoh5T2YmWYhOtyRbkEbe8mWtDRkuSu7WbfuAFBKL1OmOugO-gDH_ALlmlxA6i4QY8ovjjLKBB4_rPR3evJBi96Qs90UKgDC1BkBDWmtDn6BszILuOjvrpdOXrzGM/s1600/chinese_watermark.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a></div>
<div class="p8" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Not to be left out in the conversation of care, the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) revised its Veterinarian oath, committing to greater animal welfare:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p9" style="text-align: center;">
<b>I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit </b><b>of </b></div>
<div class="p9" style="text-align: center;">
<b>society </b><b>through the protection of animal health and </b><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FAnimal_welfare&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEYSzUY1ZrtsigjjVWe0murbWCrgQ"><span class="s1"><b>welfare</b></span></a><b>, the prevention </b></div>
<div class="p9" style="text-align: center;">
<b>and relief </b><b>of animal suffering and the conservation of animal resources.</b></div>
<div class="p10">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span class="s4"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FVeterinarian%27s_Oath&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGKSx5MUVj7qzCm_OSYN4lftp43qg">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterinarian's_Oath</a></span></span></div>
<div class="p10">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJoN7tJeFvCJM-Bc0apx8VxRfxd83aK8SLT2WLY_AVXtv18YVGRyAMc2JCxw8L7xkFHqYW8g3qC03qwTltfVYx1b4A1ExdFP7P1SrpXiUlret2I6jpabUecKHpC-NG5Wqwqg8v7DhBlM/s1600/imgres-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJoN7tJeFvCJM-Bc0apx8VxRfxd83aK8SLT2WLY_AVXtv18YVGRyAMc2JCxw8L7xkFHqYW8g3qC03qwTltfVYx1b4A1ExdFP7P1SrpXiUlret2I6jpabUecKHpC-NG5Wqwqg8v7DhBlM/s1600/imgres-1.jpg" height="176" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p10">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I give teary thanks to many gifted veterinarians and animal healers of Western, Osteopathic, Holistic, Acupuncture, Chiropractic and Psychomotor Therapy medicine. My beloved dog, Namaste, my niece’s beloved dog, Gertie, and my sister’s beloveds, Blue and Lancelot, would each have died prematurely were it not for many doctors and healers. Namaste and Blue received spiritual end-of-life care that few humans receive. Three of the dogs were in true hospice care, dying by natural means, in a loving environment.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Today I was with a client who has an injury. We had to forgo our equine leadership round pen work. This client did, however, make a commitment for personal health care; she realized without it, she would break her promise to the community of women <i>in her care</i>.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I asked her what she had previously learned in her equine work that helped her today. She said, “It’s simple. The horses are attentive and caring about each other in the herd. If I attend to my own personal health care, I will be able to listen and be empathic with others. I will be part of the caring herd.”</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
So, reader, what has emerged from your commitment to personal care?</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdu-kwj3eGSDuHvYznEm5lUU9BVjyQyv-lRl23zKaNEMkEkU1wOOSv1J3K2Blyvj0vbMpTgzxe66-kFp2D1OAaCnF0qBqO8QjuOg1vZA_vO4eHxTgJh9uvvfLnN4Rx6iIYgeb1trn9NhU/s1600/url.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdu-kwj3eGSDuHvYznEm5lUU9BVjyQyv-lRl23zKaNEMkEkU1wOOSv1J3K2Blyvj0vbMpTgzxe66-kFp2D1OAaCnF0qBqO8QjuOg1vZA_vO4eHxTgJh9uvvfLnN4Rx6iIYgeb1trn9NhU/s1600/url.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-83698655707821951642014-08-15T07:34:00.000-07:002014-08-18T20:09:27.377-07:00CAMEL RIDE-“I’d Walk A Mile For A Camel”<div class="p1">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4OSduy9evyntai5OMPdle8bzvMF-z9wk4csN5NC-SkXYfkRSEVjC8Lo3J7RovceLHzZMKpvZEyuHJE7XP0L6xr7WEoZmYRfY_IABEllqkIBbtvkDQz_MaCHWfSZbO0JlUEQxn7cOUfc/s1600/20071002_1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4OSduy9evyntai5OMPdle8bzvMF-z9wk4csN5NC-SkXYfkRSEVjC8Lo3J7RovceLHzZMKpvZEyuHJE7XP0L6xr7WEoZmYRfY_IABEllqkIBbtvkDQz_MaCHWfSZbO0JlUEQxn7cOUfc/s1600/20071002_1080.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam (aka Poncho later): Photo courtesy of Deb Mc Murray, Photographer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="goog_1083139169"></span><span id="goog_1083139170"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>If you want to keep camels, have a big enough door. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Afghan Proverb</div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The camel and his driver -- each has his own plan.</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
African Proverb<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<b>I think compassion is all important. I carry a piece of rose quartz in my pocket </b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>that reminds me to take in everything, and give out everything, with compassion.</b></div>
<div class="p1">
Tamara Nesbit</div>
</div>
<div class="p5">
<br />
<div class="p1">
Destiny was calling. Namaste Global Vision’s mission is to enable animal stewards through our leadership coaching. I was off course in considering our non-profit directly assisting in an animal rescue. I called our other two founding members so we could consider the request.</div>
</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
“Here I am standing in the community kitchen,” I tell Art and Myron, “and one of the women asks if I will find Adam a home. I think about it. And then right after meditation, an ‘Aha’ comes. I do know someone to ask for help if we decide to take this on!”</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
Adam was in a midlife crisis during an economic slump. One of his humps was sagging. His current health and home were unstable. He used to be a photo celebrity; humans drove by singing, others sent wishes. Some offered connection and carrots at the fence. Eventually, even his goat friends could not cheer him.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
After receiving the green light, I swallow hard. I call Adam’s owner and we talk for a very long time. Tentatively, I call Charley.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
What happens next is camel magic, and phone calls that go flying.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
“Mystic Moon passed away,” Charley tells me. “Many people wanted his stall. But I hung up a cross and prayed on it many times. I kept leaving it open for someone. I now know who! Thanks for calling.”</div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
Charley knows about gentling. Gentling isn’t just for camels and horses; it’s for people too. Falling on hard times is hard. It’s not easy to let go of family, regardless of what wisdom says.</div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
I’m reminded of “Heartland”, a thoughtful television show. “Second Chances” tells the story about Mr. Hanley’s neglecting his horses as he falls on hard times. Because of Amy’s dedication to helping the horses she ends up helping Mr. Hanley too. (<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSecond-Chances%2Fdp%2FB00F91RV0C&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGm8fOrnopoaUKY3dgY0NoXVSC60Q"><span class="s1">http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chances/dp/B00F91RV0C</span></a>)</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
Like with Mr. Hanley's horses, Adam's ranch life was precarious. His people were trying to make ends meet for hearth and ranch life. Sometimes, there were not enough resources for the animal's care. Adam was underweight. The authorities were coming around and that did not bode well for Adam. Negative thinking and despair don’t help. Destabilization invites a delicate situation. When breakdowns happen, it’s time for a change. (<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fconsultingforpassion.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F02%2Fcrying-uncle-wayto-breakthrough-things.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFti4V6sDaCEr9aYVdCW-JCq86Dfw"><span class="s2">http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/02/crying-uncle-wayto-breakthrough-things.html</span></a>)<span class="s3"> </span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s3"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p5">
A delicate situation it was: “Yes, Adam can go. No, he can’t. Take the goats, too. No, it can’t work. Well, let’s try. Need more time.”</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
Charley, Myron and I chose peaceful negotiations and positive communication. Luckily, we had help. Adam received affection, support, treats and mantrams from a local spiritual community. Well-wishers had watched his growth from childhood, on. Deb, a photographer, sang to Adam every day on her way to work. We had all that good energy going for us.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
Hours and hours of phone calls later, loading day came. Today <span class="s4">was </span>Adam’s turn for a camel ride. (<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fconsultingforpassion.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F07%2Fcamel-ride-part-one.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFh8Hncj4alGAcBsmVB6wkmCTtfYw"><span class="s2">http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/07/camel-ride-part-one.html</span></a>)<span class="s3"> </span>And Myron and Scotty will tell you <i>they walked more than a mile for their camel</i> as they loaded him into the trailer. Adam and his owners said a teary goodbye. Adam then rode off, away from northern California, down south to his new home.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
Adam arrived at dawn on Charley’s birthday. Charley’s brother surprised everyone with a three-man Mariachi band who followed the trailer. Adam’s regal head nodded approval as the band played on. In that moment, Adam became Poncho as his resolution to mid-life crisis was underway.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
I hope you enjoyed the ride. He did. And, reader, what’s your transformational story that saved a life?</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
By the by: Everyone likes a happy ending. Here’s Poncho’s happy ending with his forever family. <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fcharleymayer.me%2Fmy-furry-family%2F%23contentBox&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF6OCbrVJ4YGOOqBYJeHV0xtyNKPA"><span class="s2">http://charleymayer.me/my-furry-family/#contentBox</span></a><span class="s3"> </span><br />
<span class="s3"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY2Sr3xkdhnWwz7-9YMA86hN3mIX1xUs55OOditsdAEF9TvqStZXWE7abQ2094BNY59k1M_PuLigA2xnCsDNYK390mnVKNFnk5oaMDRIyAqbZwvdw4u0XvbGrtt1wkIE93226MG6802Q/s1600/559243_420410304668299_273832705_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY2Sr3xkdhnWwz7-9YMA86hN3mIX1xUs55OOditsdAEF9TvqStZXWE7abQ2094BNY59k1M_PuLigA2xnCsDNYK390mnVKNFnk5oaMDRIyAqbZwvdw4u0XvbGrtt1wkIE93226MG6802Q/s1600/559243_420410304668299_273832705_n.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poncho( aka Adam earlier) with his new friend, Corona; Photo by Charley Mayer;<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PonchoTheCamel/photos_stream">https://www.facebook.com/PonchoTheCamel/photos_stream</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtMBRK6VMPfvC8Q6PpEmLhtbQcBndBe1wHijz0x3dGga5E0BjFphN_zsK5Vd2-6tjtaaq_qZpg3BpgDLewBZkJrNsGlSyZC-qYRPV5G4DkqYC0l1F2_xl9QUYUs1s4JjX6Jm-8s9YcK8/s1600/10606237_734187773285103_5263532655209483494_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtMBRK6VMPfvC8Q6PpEmLhtbQcBndBe1wHijz0x3dGga5E0BjFphN_zsK5Vd2-6tjtaaq_qZpg3BpgDLewBZkJrNsGlSyZC-qYRPV5G4DkqYC0l1F2_xl9QUYUs1s4JjX6Jm-8s9YcK8/s1600/10606237_734187773285103_5263532655209483494_n.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
"He's Doing Better Than Ever" Photo by Cassandra Ogier</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="s3"> </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315402037580889614.post-59819914567396762122014-08-08T07:42:00.003-07:002014-08-11T16:00:10.386-07:00CAMEL RIDE-GIZA AGAIN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDTzuLlAoMP_xaGuEmNWPZKVAFcgEKm7iPPqO3WekoJADiKhDyUmZlxPnYHvzy8Rlyo0glNI63BlEfYezUUHnmzM9WogJBjY8WXN_Tk8UCODmyQ2-cGTKXaTiQV6mfIJDa_m1DLkd5DU/s1600/images-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDTzuLlAoMP_xaGuEmNWPZKVAFcgEKm7iPPqO3WekoJADiKhDyUmZlxPnYHvzy8Rlyo0glNI63BlEfYezUUHnmzM9WogJBjY8WXN_Tk8UCODmyQ2-cGTKXaTiQV6mfIJDa_m1DLkd5DU/s1600/images-4.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
We started our journey in Giza. (<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fconsultingforpassion.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F07%2Fcamel-ride-part-one.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFh8Hncj4alGAcBsmVB6wkmCTtfYw"><span class="s1">http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/07/camel-ride-part-one.html</span></a>) We ended in Giza, as well. Sandwiched in-between were layers of Egyptian mystery that we peeled back. (<a href="http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-temple-of-karnack.html">http://consultingforpassion.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-temple-of-karnack.html</a>.)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
As I re-enter Giza to say goodbye to its land, people, camels and customs, I feel an inner calm. I carry with me mysterious adventures come to life. Entering the King’s Tomb on my knees remains with me as does seeing “Sechmet,” daughter of Ra, The Sun God.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I walk deep across desert sands toward looming pyramids. I walk away from noisy vendor stands, arrayed with colorful Kurtas, perfume and food. Choosing my spot, I sit down to meditate in the heat of the desert sun. I clasp my hands, thumbs touching. I sit cross-legged on the golden sand.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I close my eyes. Slowly, I am aware of my breath. I sit still for a long while. Slowly, I sense a strange, reverberating force pulsating toward me from afar.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Trained in Vipassana mindfulness meditation, I keep my eyes closed. As the Palm Desert bell ringer, I learned <i>not</i> to flinch, open my eyes, or react to flies buzzing around me. The practice: breathe in and out, noticing and allowing.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Today is no different. Time is silent; am I halfway through my meditation? My eyes remain closed, noticing. Breathing in and breathing out.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
The sand is alive, bringing grumbling, rolling thunder into my ears. Breathing in and breathing out. Watching the phenomenon rise and fall. The hammering from high above eventually penetrates my calm.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Breathing in and breathing out.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
The rumbling commotion comes closer and closer. The distance thins. Then suddenly, sandstorms are upon me. I hear shouts. The uproar and pounding hooves are unrelenting. I remain, breathing in and out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
With hoofed feet wrapped in whispering sands, the cacophony engages me. I sit, unmoving. The pounding hooves stop abruptly --- within seconds of my skin. Men high above shriek words which are strange to my ears.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I sit, spine erect, breathing in and breathing out.</div>
<div class="p3">
Am I being threatened?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
My eyes are closed.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
The demanding energy roars above me.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Breathing in and breathing out.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
As I sit in stillness, a strange thing happens. As powerful as the vocalizations had been, there is now a pervasive quiet.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
To my surprise, camel feet encircle me completely. Several camels lean down, putting their face close to me as I sit. Camel breath comes near mine.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOKJVQqRfjya-hrCe4rOSfEc8S_5qPxFrG5N-I4wr4zGLKRxo1q60MLbQ8aYvBVf0r0ImUXzy_HycS8jI3Jt80hO0LMXO8aq0IBZbOSgjXrm1Cb_rzFSOwnRYMo7da9vdSO3T_pk2q6o/s1600/camel-2689663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOKJVQqRfjya-hrCe4rOSfEc8S_5qPxFrG5N-I4wr4zGLKRxo1q60MLbQ8aYvBVf0r0ImUXzy_HycS8jI3Jt80hO0LMXO8aq0IBZbOSgjXrm1Cb_rzFSOwnRYMo7da9vdSO3T_pk2q6o/s1600/camel-2689663.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
As camels and I share breath, the men are also quiet. The camels communicate a rapturous tranquility. I am enclosed in reverence. Astonished, my breath grows shallow. I am encircled in a community of prayers. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I am breathing in and out … just like the camels … just like the men.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I fill with gratitude and unshed tears.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Breathing in and breathing out.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
We remain like this for a long time. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Breathing in and breathing out.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Prayerfully, the camels one by one, with their men, move silently from the circle. And they slowly begin their pilgrimage back from where they came.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Later, I open my eyes, the dust nearly gone from hoof storms far away.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
While Vipassana meditations usually involve an insight garnered, this one transitioned from reality to dreamlike…and then gently slid me into an alternate, elevated reality. Such is the transformational power of the desert.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEklrcn5SXAK_jiv5W0nVBKcYhlbOORUr4Sp3Oz7rYb_NNjVX2UOUYEO6MHF-VppaCFuD1iNvRzupyPPwPsSctBTKMjEE3F5FebZDvF79nhfvhxJXN8MpsXNJYwPSekX6RAWF9CPGcXKE/s1600/chilling-with-the-camels-giza-october-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEklrcn5SXAK_jiv5W0nVBKcYhlbOORUr4Sp3Oz7rYb_NNjVX2UOUYEO6MHF-VppaCFuD1iNvRzupyPPwPsSctBTKMjEE3F5FebZDvF79nhfvhxJXN8MpsXNJYwPSekX6RAWF9CPGcXKE/s1600/chilling-with-the-camels-giza-october-2011.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
Conversations with Karla Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00433020295593503933noreply@blogger.com2