In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears
and our hearts and be assured that our questions are as important as our answers.
~ Fred Rogers

Change is a constant. We all know that. But transformation is something else again. By definition, it means that something familiar is dying and something new is being born – though its nature is still unclear. At this time, transformational forces are in play at many levels from a microscopic virus to global weather patterns to the US government in between. It’s an understatement to say that this time is profound. And, at the same time, we live each day with as much ‘normalcy’ as we can muster.

As I spend more and more time at home, I notice how much I miss what, in college, we used to call bull sessions: Conversations where we were curious, put forth opinions, and learned from each other. Until recently, a synonym for these deep and sincere conversations at this stage in my life has been happy hour.

When I am preparing the weekly emails, I hold you all in my heart. I care about you and wonder how life is for you these days. So, given this moment of explicit transformation and my desire to more fully connect, for today’s email I offer a question with a few suggested options for your response. The options are intended as prompts for reflection about your current experience and what matters to you. Feel free to respond to one, two, or all of the prompts If you want to fill in the blank with something that more fully calls to you, that’s fine as well.

Today’s question:

What are you _(fill in the blank)_ during this time?
      – learning
      – curious about
      – hoping for
      – longing for
      – grateful for
      – upset about

I’m eagerly looking forward to hearing from you. Just hit reply, I’ll share a collective synthesis of what I receive from all of you. (No names.)

Photo by Barbara
The Promise of Buds and Beauty of Blossoms
In our neighborhood, Minneapolis, MN