Weeknote #9: Choosing a different dance
Thoughts of gratitude and small acts of rebellion.
You might recall that Weeknote #8 was more act of creative rebellion in defiance of a Weeknote which wouldn’t write itself. This week, to help with this writing practice, I’ve captured mini-moments of inspiration and gratitude throughout my week and in writing this realised that thread of mini-rebellion has remained - perhaps it’s always there... So here’s what’s come up:
‘Dance spaces’ over ‘lanes’
One of my team and I were in a meeting this week, talking about Journey Maps with someone from another part of the business who was also working on Journey Maps. What might have been an awkward and, dare I say it, territorial conversation it was a positive and engaging session, and I’m grateful that we’ve created connection more than boundaries.
In the conversation however, the question of ‘how is this going to work so we each stay in our own lane’, came up. I offered the alternative view that perhaps it’s less about lanes and more about ‘this is our dance space’ and ‘that’s yours’ (words of wisdom from Patrick Swayze in the 1987 film, Dirty Dancing…) and we’ll try to not step on each others toes as we try to both make it to a similar destination.
In embracing this subtle shift in mindset through changing the words we use to describe how we work, I’m hoping will lead to a more playful mindset to aid this cross-functional collaboration and set an example for more of this to come.
A mini-rebellion in the corporate world. Let’s Cha-Cha.
Make time for mornings
A week of working from home and good weather (ish) to boot, meant bookending my day with time in the garden. More often than not, this week I’ve started my day with coffee on the decking, where the morning dew re-energises the smell of the wood and transports me back to a yoga retreat I went on in Ibiza back in 2018. It’s always that memory when I smell that smell. And whilst there isn’t quite the same Ibizan weather, amount of yoga being done or midges flying about, for that matter, it’s always a happy space to reminisce on what was a transformative retreat.
My early evenings have then transported me back to more recent travels to Spain as I’ve chased the last of the sun around the garden, with a small glass of Vermouth in hand (don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it) and a Golden Labrador in my shadow.
In the modern world where we’re typically sat for longer periods in artificial light, in front of a myriad of screens, time outside is a mini-rebellion but so crucial to our wellbeing. Here’s just a couple of reasons why:
Both morning and evening light aid our circadian rhythm, to help us have healthy sleep patterns and regulates other biological systems like hunger and body temperature, too.
Being outside to hear the birdsong also helps our stress and anxiety levels by enabling our parasympathetic nervous system (the one of rest and digest vs fight or flight) to kick in, as well; An evolutionary response ingrained from our time as hunter-gatherers where tweeting birds told us that there were no predators near-by and all was well.
We can feel guilty for such simple pleasures that maybe take us away from the rush of the day and other priorities, but clearly there’s a lot more going on than just having our morning coffee in the garden and perhaps that’s worth prioritising, too.
Go deep and be silly
This week I went for dinner with two friends who I met when I worked at Aviva, 15 years ago. It’s always like we saw each other yesterday and no topic of conversation is off limits - we get deep pretty quick and more often than not things get a little bit woo - spirituality, yoga and energy practices, the wonders of life - you name it. But then we’ll be daft and silly, playful and light. These are never gossip-y conversations and we very rarely talk about TV shows or Netflix series. And one thing we reflected on during our dinner was that none of us had our smartphones out - which I’m considering as an act of rebellion in itself.
The WhatsApp chat afterwards reveals how invigorating we all find spending time together, as we write messages of gratitude for the gifts we each bring and share links to things we chatted about. Some deep words of wisdom and well, some perhaps less so, but just as soul-soothing
Here’s the stuff they shared which really resonated with me and I’m sure they won’t mind me sharing:
Some friendships aren’t about history, they’re about energy.
About how someone can meet you once and still make your soul feel seen.
Pay attention to those connections that feel easy, safe and grounding.
Time doesn’t always measure depth.
Some people arrive and feel like they’ve been there all along.
And to illustrate the Ying and Yang of depth and silliness, we go from that to this. My new go-to pick me up when in need of a giggle:
Thanks, as always, for reading. I hope there’s been pockets of gratitude and mini-rebellion in your weeks this week.
Enjoy [yet another] bank holiday weekend!