March 2021
On this morning in early March, I got my car thoroughly stuck in the mud and managed to keep my sense of humor. I sat there enjoying the sun’s warmth — the mud-lusciousness it calls forth from the ground and the melting in my body, mind, spirit while waiting for the tow truck.
I just completed a 4-day intensive Zoom gathering with my coaching colleagues from many corners of the planet. It was inspiring and wonderful, and a bit of a gusher! We delved into ways to work effectively with the collective trauma that is part of our human inheritance at this time in history with Thomas Hübl. We explored the personal and collective grief that is arising in the face of the pandemic and climate change with Philip Shepherd. Building resilience and agility individually and collectively with Peter Moreno. Making decisions and crafting interventions in everyday family and work life through retraining our body-minds to work collaboratively by attuning to the patterns in nature with Nora Bateson. How indigenous ways of sensing can support our knowledge of systems theory with Tyson Yunkaporta. Finally, with Beena Sharma, Gregory Thomas and a little help from Wynton Marsalis we explored the polarity of innovation / preservation and the parallels between the workings of our democracy and a jazz band. So much learning, connection, new uses of technology, new ideas . . . As you might imagine, my brain is full along with a serious case of Zoom fatigue!
Despite the hour I lost with wheels spinning in the mud, this day offered me a patch of time to breathe a little deeper, rest and putter. I’m finding sweet relief in being held by the container of home as I integrate all that is becoming relevant and practical from that gathering. This morning I’m finding comfort in my silverware drawer. I’m getting a boost from the daffodils on the windowsill above my kitchen sink.
With the spaciousness of this morning, I turned to a self care / beauty practice that I naturally take up this time of year when I can. So I thought I’d share:
First, I put together a refreshing and cleansing spring smoothie:
-1 cup of sap from a maple tree (Fresh water or chilled green tea will suffice)
- 3 stalks of organic celery
- ½ an apple
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
All spizzed up in a blender or Nutri-Bullet.
Next, I painted my face and my wrinkly neck with this whisked mixture:
- 1 egg white
- ½ teaspoon of white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon water
Then, I wandered around the house sipping the celery apple juice until the egg whites have gone brittle and cracked all across my skin— revealing what I will probably look like when I’m 90, if I have the privilege of getting that far! Jumping into the shower and washing off the dried-up albumin, my skin feels new. I am hatched! Onward I go into the glory of the day.
Now it is the afternoon, and as I write this blog, my heart longs for you to have the luxury of the few hours required to play in a practice like this. . . . Or for you to make it possible for someone who is swimming in too-muchness and who would find pleasure and nourishment from it. It works wonders for integrating new learnings and gathering your forces in general.
My guiding star intention is to distill all this new knowledge into wonderfully effective practices for my clients in the coming months.
Warmly yours,
Lyedie
Please note: Remember to make breakfast, make love, and make trouble on behalf of beauty, truth and goodness!
Oh and finally — In memory of my mom, I’d like to share one of her favorite poems. She recited it to us often when we were children. It is at its best when read aloud, so I made you a little recording.
in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring
when the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing
from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee
By e.e. cummings