My mind is swirling with activity. Leadershape does that to me. To spend the day thinking about and talking about leadership is both exhilarating and exhausting all at once. At the end of the day - which yesterday was 1:25 a.m. I am left feeling lucky for the opportunity to spend this time with motivated young people. They are appreciative for the chance to be here, curious, and I think genuinely anxious to make a positive mark on their corner of the world. I kind of wish all of you could be here with me. You've become like family and I can't help but wonder if you would also like it. If nothing else, I'd love you to see me full of energy and working in my element, in the same way I would love to watch all of you in your element.
You think this is going to intro Cheryl's great Mind Mapping question about your ultimate job. It was going to, but then I changed my mind. I think we'll visit that tomorrow, but for today I wanted to do something different.
Yesterday was Day #3 of Leadershape. It's the day students post their visions and that we walk around the room providing feedback on what each student has written. I posted sample visions when I facilitated my last Leadershape session in May, so I had no intention of posting more visions this year. Then I ran across this vision and I decided I couldn't help it....
Growth for the Community
I couldn't help it, because in Tarashea's Headline Statement I recognized concepts of both community and creativity. I view Highlowaha as the place where creativity and community meet, so naturally I was interested. It's not that her idea is 100% original. It doesn't have to be. I've read about places where community gardens are thriving, and I found myself thinking about the idea for the rest of the night and into the morning.
I want to grow something. That's the reason Tarashea's Headline Statement resonated with me. We're a community and while we would have a hard time tending to a garden, this community is every bit creative enough to figure out a way to grow something. Is it a virtual garden, a physical garden, or some other manifestation? Are we literally growing flowers, fruit, or vegetables or is the idea of "growing" something only figurative?
Put on your green thumb and overalls and help me think this through. I don't have an von Oech card to whack our thinking, but maybe one of you returners will throw out one of his former prompts. Or, we'll fly solo today generating our own creative ideas about what we can grow. And maybe, in turn, we'll do what Tarashea proposes - create Growth for the Community!
Thanks for all the great Mind Mapping ideas yesterday. Eventually, we'll get to them.
Posts
13 comments:
In a way, my mind map could have gone straight to this too. I had words like green, eating, food, fruit, dinner...haha.
I feel like I have grown a lot from being a part of this blog community the past 10 months or so. And I hope that we continue to get together each day, virtually, and grow ourselves, one another, and our own communities!
Are we growing a community?
I think the answer to that is yes...a cross cultural, cross generation, cross profession, cross gender, intercontinental community...think of it like that and I think we are growing something pretty amazing!
What else are we growing:
-creative thoughts
-friendships
-relationships
-kindness in the world through our RAKS
and on a less serious note...5 or 6 babies amongst the group with all those sets of twins out there.
First off... How long did that take her to write? That is the cutest writing ever!!
Okay- now on to the topic. So yes, I agree that we are growing a community through HLA just as Tarashea's community is growing through the gardening. And, I agree with Cassie- by being connected to each other and learning from each other we are also cultivating ourselves.
What else are we growing? Or, what else do we want to grow? Could we also say develope or create? Peggy is creating the cutest HLA journal ever in her part of the world. The Strubles are creating fun by hosting the Snack Down. We all use the ideas here to create memories for our families or cookies or parties and the list goes on...
I'm going to ponder on this throughout the day. Is there something else that we are growing or want to grow?
All this mind-mapping is above my little mind. But, I do have a note to post that kinda relates to growing community or at least growing friendships. Drumroll..................Rebecca got her first piece of mail from her new PenPal yesterday. She was over the moon excited!! Claudia, thank you so much. I am just as excited as she is to watch this new friendship grow.
Off to try and mail my football snack. Will it get there in time??? Hmmm, we'll see.
Hugs, Susan
I only have a minute, before I have to get back to this AMAZING group of students! I have to say...
I really enjoyed reading today's insights. I love what is growing here at HLA and, as many of you have pointed out, all the sub-gardens that are "sprouting" up as a result of HLA (pen pals, journals, Struble Suds, etc...).
I have high hopes for what we might harvest in 2009!
I have been milling over this all day as I've been preparing to head back to Virginia tomorrow...and here's what I have to say.
I feel as though so much of what we're growing here at HLA is 218 and what it represents. For me, HLA represents so much of what I want my life to be like every day, but don't always have the time for 24/7. At HLA, I've gained some great friends, been able to stay in touch with friends who are now separated by miles and miles, learned new trades, been challenged to think in a different way, had a "hand" in some service projects, and been able to pay forward some of that feeling through RAKS. To me, HLA is like a cul-de-sac tucked away in some town in the MidWest where were have block parties, play bingo, bake cookies, share our highs and lows, and learn how to adapt all of those things into our every day lives. I feel as though what we are growing here at HLA is the lives we all want to lead. HLA is the life I aim for- what my life would look like on a 24/7 basis if I could have it my way. It can't be that way 24/7, so HLA is my way of growing it to be that way as often and for long as I possibly can.
I hope that made some sense.
I'll be traveling tomorrow and then it's back into Spring Training for me, so I'll be hit or miss for the next few days!
Katie- I don't want to be too literal with your comment but here are my thoughts... living the Spirit of 218 is indeed a great thing but living it 24/7, well, you'd have to be a Saint! I think you are living the Spirit of 218 more than you give yourself credit. Afterall, we are only human. Keep up the great work!
Here's my quick 2 cents before jetting out the door...
HLA is a beautiful, dynamic growing garden. This "garden" is constantly changing...even from day to day. I like to think of the members of this community as the heart and soul of the "garden," though members can fufill different roles each day. For instance. CKB is the regular sewer of the seeds...the first persons to post in the morning offer water and creativity springs up as more people work the day's thoughts over.
Okay, my tangent on the growing garden, is I too automatically thought about the seed ...
If you don't have a seed, nothing can grow... so metaphorically or scientifically... if you relate the importants of the development of a seed and how it grows ... in us, HLA needs to spread... seeds grow differently in hot/cold climates (us in different parts of the USA) ... a seed needs to absorb nutrients, food ( we often talk about food, what we make, what we send, how a party is formed, maybe food for thought, words of wisdom), a seed needs to be grow and it can be diverse in size... the changes and chances we take in our life can make a difference in someone elses life, and the favor, kind word, RAK, the idea ~ ONE person can do it!! that's all it needs.... but what a beautiful garden it could make, if there were many seeds .... it all started with one seed... one idea!!!
I wish I could be a comedian and end my great story with a joke :
What did the baby tulip say to it's baby-sitter?
I want my Poppy and my Mum!
Help! I can't find the mailing address for mailing the Struble Suds football snack. Does anyone have it handy to post? Or Claudia, if you see this, can you email it to me?
Thanks, Susan
Susan-
Can't find the address but the phone number is 630-CLD-BEER (630-253-2337. Maybe you could call Cristine or Matt in the morning since Claudia is out of pocket.
It's been kind of a slow day on HLA...perhaps we didn't water ourselves...open up those flood gates tomorrow before we begin to wilt!
Thanks to Kristen's prompting ... here it is, Sue :)
The Struble Family
2616 Champion Rd.
Naperville, IL 60564
I'll be back for real tomorrow :)
Post a Comment