Resilience: A Journey~ Last Words, a Closing

                  We MUST be the change we wish to see in the world.
                                                                    ~ GANDHI ~

Resilience: ~ the ability to recover from or adjust to change.
Journey: ~ a traveling from one place to another   
           ( Merriam/Webster Dictionary)

There is absolutely nothing I am more grateful for than the grace of this journey of resilience. Resilience is clearly a journey; perhaps a process, certainly a quality, a hope, a gift. 
"Resilience: A Journey" is perhaps a perpetual state of mindfulness. If it is unattainable for us, then perhaps we will be fortunate enough to observe the process in others, absorbing some measure of the gathering of wisdom.

Here, today, in a mindful presence, I leave these pages. Opening new doors, seeing & listening in new ways of understanding, with growing compassion...we, I, move forward. 

Please take this Stafford poem with you, continuing a Journey of Resilience. It has long been a guide and inspiration, often a gentle, clear reminder. Read, re-read and  maybe read another time.

Neah Kah Nie Mountain, North Pacific Coast, July 2012

Be well, dear travelers, in peace. ~ S.St.J.
(new blog: journeyofresilience.wordpress.com)
                            
                                                 YOU, READING THIS, BE READY

Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?

Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now? Are you waiting
for time to show you some better thoughts?

When you turn around, starting here, lift this
new glimpse that you found; carry into evening
all that you want from this day. This interval you spent
reading or hearing this, keep it for life ~ 

What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around? (1993)

~WILLIAM STAFFORD (1914 - 1993)
American poet & pacifist, U.S. Poet Laureate 1970, Oregon Poet Laureate 1975

A Gathering of Wisdom

 

Walden Pond

 

 

 

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach ~ and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
                            ~ HENRY DAVID THOREAU (Walden) ~ 


A Gathering of Wisdom:
~ On a study retreat(Authentic Leadership in Action Institute), I found paths through the fields and woods of Nova Scotia, on a university campus, a contemplative environment.

~ Visiting dear friends in Massachusetts, I discovered their home within the Walden Woods Preserve, ancient stone walls following trails to secluded ponds...some of the very land Thoreau explored while writing.

~ In Maine, another dear friend explored the wooded trails of Acadia, the oldest national park on the east coast, windblown coastal firs and birch, mirroring our own Pacific forests.

 
~ In N.Y.C., more dear friends walked the pavement beneath arching sycamores and beloved gingkos.

~ Returning home, to endless "woods", forests of our Pacific Northwest, I am called to gather the wisdom and learn again to live deliberately, simply.

Neahkahnie Mountain,Pacific Ocean

"The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little stardust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched."
                                             ~THOREAU~

A Gathering of Wisdom is perpetual, is near, far or in between....intangible, yet clear. Perhaps we all live our lives to the best of our abilities - not right or wrong, good or bad - just living the best we can with who we are and what we are given.
In one friend's home, a Thoreau quote: "We are constantly called to be what we are." What meaning do those words have today? What are we - you and I? Another intangible that we hope will become clear as we journey.


"I learned this: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours....
However mean your life is, meet it and live it. Love your life, poor as it is....Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth...only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star."
                                           ~ THOREAU~ 

 Gathering wisdom, I learned this:
At ALIA retreat symposium(Halifax) ~ Mindfulness practice = silent respect, surprising sense of immediate community, acceptance, inclusion, flexibility, safety, clarity
~ calm down, focus, slow tempo, open
~ enveloped by attentive listening, profound understanding, intuitive compassion even in the midst of intensive learning
~ comfortable with silence or conversation within large(200+) & small groups(10+)
~ Practical process of contemplative, decisive decision & action for change
~ an important event, retreat, symposium of people from around the world, various simple & complex careers, exploring problems together, working to make the world more compassionate, exciting, instilling curiosity & wonder, a source of wisdom gathered from all 200+ participants.


Traveling on(Boston, Maine, NYC) to gather wisdom from visits with friends of 40 years, I learned this: ~my great good fortune to have close, honest, true friends who, though separated by thousands of miles and many years, remain bound by some intangible connection(like Thoreau's rainbow).
~ Learning and growing from each other's successes and failures
~ gathering and giving intuitive life skills as we approach this new chapter of life

And most of all: I am so fortunate to have this life, this place, this freedom, the clarity of air, mind, life. The "woods" on both sides of this vast country, the mountains, the seas, the sky, thankfully preserved to inspire. It's time to continually work to preserve more, to make sure not just our children, but everyone's children, live to know this inspiration.
Gathering wisdom ~ a perpetual journey ~simply,clearly,mindfully we learn.

                                   
 

Morning at Low Tide

Awaken to a magnificent gift! 
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step." ~ MLK

One of the lowest tides of the year...June 6, 2012...Remember what you have seen, have heard, have taken to heart as such gifts of this life, this simple walk on a northern beach in spring light.

 There are no words for the enormity of such places at such times...the intimate yet private sharing of an expansive world with a few strangers or neighbors...no words exchanged, just a knowing tilt of the head in passing, perhaps a smile. For here is something far greater than we are alone...yet together with the life revealed at this low tide, we find connections clear and ringing true. Just look at this life:

...rushing toward us, waiting for our eyes and ears and hearts.

Come walk. Breathe the fine salt air. Absorb the morning light and the pulsing sounds of the sea. Notice life left over, left behind by the shrinking tides, sleeping on sands, waiting.

Take that first step, that moment saved for another day, a "special" time...take the step now, while you are able....in faith. Choose life. Go! Here we are; all of us, out there together...Rejuvenate, in order to continue the journey of resilience.

"As long as we do our best at what matters most, things will find their way." ~ Adam (b. 6/6/89)

Constant Movement within Us

   All is movement, is sound, through this spring day. Wind, changeable, in tree boughs and flowering, leafing, growing life.
Winds ~ coming and going, quieting and surging ~ always accompanied by the constant shushing of the distant sea...the waves and tides, winds and water. Like heartbeats ~ the constant movement within us: life.
 Eyes closed ~ sounds become richly complex. Feeling wind - gentle touches of coolness, pushing at my back, spiraling in sound from one cheek and ear in a circle to the other....Winds of change, of forward journeys.

 Eyes open - filled with light, the world is made of movement. Each blowing lily-of-the-valley glows, rings and is still -

 

 

under ancient, anchored firs, billowing their deep green beauty against a cerulean sky. Birds, silent in mid-day heat, return to calling, chanting in the fading evening light...moving in flight and song.

The sea ~ all turquoise, teal, blue-green and white - all impossible shades

of watery light - delicate and dense at once. What life moves within its rocking,relentless sound & motion? 

The ground around my feet is filled with moss and clover, and tiny white stars of flowers - pine needles and cones, and old shells someone gathered there long ago to remember the day, connecting beach to garden.

Where the sun heats, the wind cools. Where dreams are a longing, this present moment is some small glimpse of peace. 

Listen ~ A New Song

Listen well ~ hear ~ be well ~ absorb the day, the light of life ~ the swirling bird flocks and tides, the unending power of wind and water ~ the myriad gifts, each moment blending into yourself and spirit. Walking,walking,walking amidst birds and stones, shells and wood, water, sand & reflected sky...listen and hear a new song. Can we? wherever we are, whoever we are?

"Where had I heard this wind before
Change like this to a deeper roar?
What would it take my standing there for,
Holding open a restive door,
Looking downhill to a frothy shore?"
~ ROBERT FROST ~ (from Bereft) 

I stood there, on the dunes, above the expansive, deserted windswept beach ~ absorbing salt air, a shifting grazing flock of sandpipers, gulls & eagles flying low, white caps on steel blue water extending seemingly forever into deepening, dark sky. A new song blends erratically with the old ~ filling me with a familiar angst, an overwhelming sadness experienced months ago in a warmer, intense beach land...a place where grief lives in every moment of every day & night ~ such an intensity of emotion floods through where I had sought to move beyond into necessary work for others.
 A single white crane flies over our bay and I am back there on the island, where white egrets symbolize intense hope. I watch an eagle climb in elegance against the mountainside and over the ocean....I am there, everywhere, bound to all who see and hear, who listen and absorb.
Each day, a new gift of thought...as yesterday contrasts with today, it's turquoise spring beauty sending me laughing and sighing with amazement. As changeful as always, the sea gives up alternate states....influences and inspires.

Listen well...it is never gone, that which we experience on a soul level. Listen and absorb the old into the new, and then try to sing again. Looking across an empty expanse of land and churning, powerful sea ~ an immensity of spirit guides my memory of that familiar, forgotten, distant tension and turmoil of a land not quite mine. Yet, this empathetic compassion, which so seems like grief, serves as a bond, connection, inspiration. Gratefully, again, I realize: a continuing journey of resilience provides light and song.

May! is here! Hear it, absorb it! My favorite month of a lifetime, providing scents and sounds for a gladness of heart! Be well. Live deeply.  Go ahead: be sad, be unendingly happy, just be....May Spring bring whatever you need most.

"SPRING IS AN EXPERIENCE IN IMMORTALITY." ~ Thoreau

 

"Resilience" ~ pop topic of the moment

Having no idea what a "pop"-ular topic I chose back in November 2011 when this blog was started, I am amazed, confused and humbled by the abundance of essays, articles, books, workshops, courses exploring "resilience". It's suddenly everywhere! I wonder.........why....?

As many leaders are writing and teaching: Many of us are searching, are hoping, are questioning the complexities of the current global experience. Resilience, we remember, is a journey - according to psychology......or a state of being, according to physics. Something to aspire towards, or something to gather strength from, or something we work on, day after day....and something we are utterly blessed with when it becomes an integral part of our being.

I'm attempting a new journey ~ calling it "A Gathering of Wisdom Journey 2012". It began with a new grandchild, and progressed to visits/conversations with family and friends, in Oregon & Colorado. It will continue in June in Nova Scotia and Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and New York....gathering wisdom of my oldest friends, my mentors, teachers and colleagues, as we all approach this time of life through divergent, diverse paths. 
Conversations, as many have written, are essential today. Communicating honestly, with dedication to clarity, truth, learning and giving. There is forever much to give....and to gather....and to give again, after the "gathering of wisdom journey" begins. Sharing our resilience can only serve to help all.


Peace for your journey, is all I can wish you ~
(pictures are Colorado, March '12)

Leadership: Contemplative & Resilient

Did you know that our Pacific coast abounds with restored-from-endangered bald eagles? They ride the currents and soar beside my car as I drive to work on Hwy.101! How about great blue herons in the tidal bays, or white egrets in fields with cattle(just like Jamaica!), sea ducks of all shapes and colors riding & bobbing the bay waters? The bay waters~ impressionist views eternally altering in mood & intensity. Light upon bird and wave,reflection, glorious resilient flight. And here, in the quiet cottage neighborhood, finches and doves, flickers tapping and dashing across your path, near your face....all in love with this beauty as much as we are.

I will go in June to a wonderful symposium in Nova Scotia, learning and sharing with leaders around the globe, in contemplative, compassionate, resilient creativity,~ re-thinking, re-inventing, caring, searching, facilitating positive change...challenging present communities to new, innovative, inclusive pathways for this most diverse & complex world. I am hopeful this experience will advance my Peace Corps community & education training, opening mind and soul to something vibrant, inspiring and so relevant. 
Be inspired;look at this website: aliainstitute.org

What do you see when your eyes take in such skies? Look up, even in the rain and storm. Be blown off course for just a moment. Find resilience: your journey.