When I first started working for lululemon, I thought this whole “Goals setting + sharing” practice was novel, but wasn’t sure it was more than an icebreaker-y thing. But I tried it anyway. I wrote out a vision for 10-years in the future, and held myself to taking small steps forward on specific things. Over time, what first seemed big slowly became possible. After having kids, my future-vision shifted to picturing things for their sake, and left my personal path to be more hazy. As the pandemic precautions lighten up day by day, and with this nudge from reading Lauren’s piece, I’m inspired to dust off my vision-board and get back into my personal practice.

Today just so happens to be Lauren’s celebration of her incarnation. I’m so happy we could time this post of hers perfectly like this. Congratulations on your nativity, Lauren! (AKA Happy birthday!!)

- Corey

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When hanging Christmas Decorations a couple weeks back, I was surprised at how quickly my hammer began to feel like an extension of my arm. As if with each swing, we became more closely attuned to each other. It felt the same for me this year with video calls. Each one taught me how to allow for more humanity and honesty to exist in the medium, creating a space for me to show up more fully as myself for the other person on the line. At first, practice with any tool is clumsy, then robotic, until finally smoothness, artistry, and oneness are achieved. Lauren’s piece reminds me that the neither the tool, nor the user, need to be perfect for connection to happen.

-Corey

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I love hearing about times when a group of people is unexpectedly called into becoming a community. The times I’ve experienced this in my life tend to involve the group experiencing a shared situation, often unusual, sometimes emergency. And I’ve sometimes found the more important the raison d’être of the temporary grouping, the more fascinating or memorable the experience of community. Lauren’s Line, as she describes it here, makes me think perhaps everyone waiting in line seemed to feel that being in this queue meant something… the cost of the physical stamina exerted in waiting was worth the chance to realize their mind’s desires.

Also, hearing about the actions of a Line-Hero (the pizza guy) is a new Anti-Pet Peeve of mine!

-Corey

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I LOVE reading about the inception of self-organizing groups. I feel a sense of magic when I think about the series of coincidences that had to line up to gather together a group who didn’t know how closely connected they already were; like here, in Lauren’s experience. And how, in my experience, beneficial coincidences seem to snowball sometimes when I continue to trust them and act from joy, generating a form of magnetism that attracts spontaneous kindness from the world around me.

The other thing that sticks out to me here is that the distance of this feat isn’t measured in feet, but the entire natural wonder itself. How very YIN, I say. I imagine our ancestors didn’t set timers for how long they planned to meditate, or distance markers for how long they should run, but went as long or far as they could until the work was done or the goal was reached.

Thanks for giving me (and all of us readers) the chance to live this experience vicariously through you, Lauren.

-Corey

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If you’re doing a double take asking yourself “didn’t they send this blog out on Friday?” – the answer is yes, we did! Or at least a different version of it. We (Pip, Corey, Amanda, and myself) decided to revise my blog a bit since upon another read, it didn’t totally fit into our CFC Blog design principles. I also thought this would be a great opportunity to share with our CFC readers what those design principles are, since every blog we send out is vetted to ensure fit:

(1) We aim to keep blogs around 400 words or less – we promise people 90 second reads and we want to keep that promise.

(2) We avoid coming across as advising – this is where my blog on Friday fell short. We never want it to seem like the writer knows best or can speak on behalf of others.

(3) We publish blogs that speak from personal experience – this is very much related to #2.

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It seems right to be talking about closure, loss and uncertainty now, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, as the days get shorter and we make the shift into Autumn. Although, if you follow the Lunar calendar, where the Harvest Moon has come and gone, you’re already in Fall. I have the thought that perhaps uncertainty is something that we START OFF by being familiar with as children, WELCOME as young adults as we are still deciding our path, and work to MINIMIZE as adults, thinking we should know the answers or have a plan for everything. Here, Lauren explores her own feelings, as well as her discovery of concrete, tangible remedies for those times in life when the uncertainty of loss begins to overtake the surety of expectation.

- Corey

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Hello! Before I dive in, here is a fresh anti-pet peeve for you…

I am currently lucky enough to be working from Nantucket Island, where I have been going since I was a kid. One of my favorite views in the world is here: looking over the moors to a red and white striped lighthouse here called Sanktaty that sits right on the water. I got to ride my bike to see it this morning, and seeing it for the first time every summer never ceases to make me smile.

NOW back to business...

Today’s blog is simple - we wanted to highlight some of the changes we’ve made to the Community for Change website and talk a little bit about why we decided to dedicate some time updating it.

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I have a box tucked away in my closet underneath my hanging clothes that has held all hand-written cards/notes that people have written to me over the last ten years. It's probably the most important thing in my room... I think I re-read every slip of paper in that box at least three times a year. And I've noticed that I normally pull out these letters when I am feeling down or discouraged, or when it's been a long week and I've somehow lost my sense of self. But then I read the notes and it's funny to think that sometimes it seems others know me better than I know myself. And that the power of words is so strong and can make me feel so connected to the writer, even if I haven't seen (or maybe even spoken to) him/her in awhile. Yet his/her words have the ability to pull me back up again and see the world with a greater sense of peace and endearment.

And then after a prolonged period of silence, and maybe a few tears, I close the box with an awakened soul that feels such gratitude and love, knowing that I am very fortunate that the box is full and now is my heart.

Lauren - thank you for reminding me of the lasting effect words can have, and how encouragement may even be/feel contagious.

- Amanda

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There has been many times I've thought of The Starfish Story, where a child throws starfish back into the ocean so that they don't shrivel up in the sun. When an old man confronts him and tells him there are way too many and that he couldn't possibly make a difference, the boy responds, "I made a difference for that one," after he throws it back into the sea. Lauren, I love that you shed light on this idea... humans hold a great deal of power in their hands each day. And this beautifully-written blog shows just how far that power can go and the huge potential we have to share. And oftentimes a calling to do so can lie right at our fingertips.

-Amanda

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Ironically, when I first heard about the protests I felt so angry that people were doing so and not following protocol; I was tied to my own mindset and opinions about the virus and how to feel and how one should behave or react. And then I thought how that notion in itself makes it clear we all experience a similar, reactive anger even if it's rooted in different fears or worries as we are all emotional beings simply craving human connection at the end of the day.. which maybe makes us not so drastically different after all? Thank you Lauren for instilling a sense of hopefulness for the future through your writing. I do believe we will all move forward in the next year with a fresh AND softer set of eyes.

- Amanda

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This piece has so so many layers to it.. that perhaps a lead-in couldn't do it comprehensive justice. That being said Lauren, you have wonderfully introduced a variety of life lessons in your tribute to Cissey, a person whose presence I wish I could have experienced myself. Thank you for sharing something so personal with this community. It seems writing can be such a powerful outlet for those who have lost someone - translating loving thoughts into endearing words.

-Amanda

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I've become hyperaware recently of the voice in my head.. and I've happily gotten a bit better at managing it in a healthier way. But what I have seen that stays more stagnant is its tendency to quickly jump to a judgement after something even a bit discouraging has happened. I've noticed though that after some time has passed, and I am less tied to a negative emotion, my orientation is more objective and I can re-shape my mindset to become a place for greater motivation and resoluteness. Lauren's blog brings me back to this, sometimes challenging, practice of actively reframing perspective. Thank you Lauren.

-Amanda

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I intern at a research school, and spend 40 minutes each day working with a small group of third grade students who struggle greatly in reading. I'm working with them to build their decoding and fluency skills, supporting them in breaking apart words and reading at a faster pace so that they can meet their goals in all academic areas. However, to be honest, these 40 minutes sometimes feel a bit tortuous (for both the children and myself) because the practice activities we must get through are not, let's just say, the most invigorating (i.e. lots of repeated readings of the same rather tedious text). So normally the kids get off-task or become avoidant or simply don't care. And I start to feel worried that they will continue to struggle to meet benchmarks and not pass the state assessments.

As an educator, of course I never want to lose hope, but there are times I can't help but feel anxious as I want each child to love learning and succeed in their own unique way. However, after a long winter break, I tested my students today on their fluency - I was thrilled to see the progress they've made, and their little faces lit up as they marked a higher point on their reading growth chart. It's not always easy to notice small changes take place and the growth actually being made on those tiresome mornings... but Lauren's piece came to me at the perfect time, and reminded me to not let perfection distort my view of the real progress before my eyes, even if it takes time. Thank you Lauren.

- Amanda

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Reading this blog after the experience I had today was very fitting. I teach 3rd grade at a research school partnered with the University of Florida. Today my students were instructed to find a partner, someone whom they don't normally work with, and work together to revise their personal writing pieces. There is one student in my class (I'll call him Evan) that struggles in writing and has a learning disability. The other students are aware of the accommodations and extra support Evan needs to focus and learn. My heart filled up today when one student noticed he was sitting without a partner, staring at his piece. So the student walked over and sat next to Evan and asked him to read his writing aloud. After Evan read it, this student gave him advice on how he can add to his piece to make it even better. He did this in such a positive and encouraging manner. It was awesome to watch.

It seems to me that it is an innate human desire to want to genuinely support others, make them feel valued, and help them to see their potential. Thank you for this reminder, Lauren. :)

- Amanda

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Lauren - I ironically had a very strangely similar conversation with my older sister a couple weeks ago. At first we were talking about the stress we were dealing with from grad school (me) and the business world (her). After some anxious back and forth venting, the conversation went a different direction. We began discussing how being stressed out can actually be sourced from a place of privilege... My sister mentioned how her biggest fear may be losing her job because her passions and values align so strongly with the company she's currently at, and it would be so troubling to have to move somewhere else. But to be in the position to have this distress at all is an entitlement in its own. Perhaps it is a gift to have decision-making power for yourself to choose a job that is challenging yet rewarding and potentially aligns with your true self. Thanks for sharing this and for the gentle reminder, Lauren.

- Amanda

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Lauren’s blog makes me think back to my sports days. I was reminded of one of the longest tennis matches I’d ever had with an opponent. It was a completely clear, sunny 95 degree summer day. And after a never-ending tie breaker, the match concluded. It was evident we were both at about the same skill level, so there was no resentment or bitterness as we walked side by side in sweat back to the club house. Instead, we drank our gatorades in the shade together and actually discussed as well as complimented each other’s game and strategy, which we got to know very well after this 3 hour match! That experience gave me a whole different outlook on the sport and reminded me how, even when playing against one another, we’re sort of on the same team at the end of the day. And that every tough situation presents us an opportunity to respond in a way that makes the most of it and to even lift somebody up and share some joy.

Thank you Lauren for putting an inspiring story and lesson into your own words.

- Amanda

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Sometimes I wonder how people's mindsets would be affected if there was more positivity portrayed in the news and media. I recently deleted my Instagram account because the pages/accounts that I was following for inspiration (pertaining to global health and sustainability) were instead leaving me with feelings of despair and bitterness about the world, and an overall bad outlook. As I am studying sustainability and climate change, I know how important it is to focus on the statistics and to maintain more positive aspirations in order to move forward from here. With this kind of motivation, driven by hopefulness instead of anger or frustration, I believe individuals may be more motivated to put in a larger effort for people and the world. Lauren's blog breathed a sense of fresh hope into me about these ideas, and reminded me of the importance of operating in a positive, student mindset while ensuring I have the facts right. Thank you, Lauren!

- Amanda

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There was a CFC zoom session about a year ago where we discussed the possibilities that could sprout from operating from a mindset of abundance and expansion and problem solving RATHER than scarcity and feeling there is not enough (people, things, health, time, money, etc..) During this zoom session, we chose our favorite food and then tried to guess how many people, employees, and hands all the different ingredients passed through before getting to our plates. And Lauren, I love that your blog brings me back to this space of gratitude and appreciation for every one I've come across and that have helped me on my life journey or have brought joy to my life, in large and small ways. Thank you for sharing your perspective. Your words reminded me to say a few extra words of thanks to the flight attendants, shuttle driver, pilot, and TSA employees throughout my day today as I traveled back to school here in Florida. :)

- Amanda

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I love how Lauren is able to so naturally tie humor into her writing yet still make really thought-provoking and solid points :) Her blog reminds me of something that happened just this week when I walked into a coffee shop - the barista complimented my shirt, and afterwards I thought that maybe she was just giving me that compliment because I was having a bad day and she must've thought I looked upset or something. It's funny how sometimes I so easily tie a cause to tiny events, or even ASK what the cause of something is. When sometimes things just are what they are... and sometimes it's better to see things more objectively and not overthink it :) Thank you Lauren - your post caused () me to come to some realizations about how I personally operate in my own world each day.

- Amanda

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