February is usually a tough month with its short days and long nights - and this year ever more so as we find ourselves inching closer to the one year mark of the pandemic.
As you continue to lead yourself and your community through the ongoing uncertainty, I encourage you to 'put your oxygen mask on first' and gift yourself "A Little Book of Courage for the Big Pandemic", by Cheri Lovre. It is equal parts inspiration, comfort and hope.
Cheri begins the book by helping us to situate ourselves and to map our way forward:
Source: Myers and Zunin, “Debriefing and grief: Easing the pain,” adapted by Cheri Lovre and Crisis Management Institute; rendering by Max Harless
-my own experience right now is that of a "Lingering Fog" with the promise of a "Clear Path Forward" once my family members and I are vaccinated.
As I read the book, it struck me that it would be a helpful and hopeful read for summer retreats. These retreats may or may not take place in person this year, however it is vital that you and your team take time to reflect and process the past year and look towards the future. Cheri frames this work as "Recovery and Foundation":
"To increase our chances of success, there are two different types of work we can do. The first is the work of recovery: practices that help us (and perhaps others) better manage our own confusion, anxiety, grief and trauma. Recovery is our inner work. It begins with the recognition that we can help ourselves get stronger, through reflection, conversation, and our everyday practices. The pandemic has given many of us a fresh start on what we do every day, even while coping with painful realities.
The second is the work of foundation: actively laying the groundwork to build the post-COVID world in which we want to live. This is the collective work. We reflect on the future, and we take part in conversations about our hopes, not just our fears. These can be profound and creative dialogues, in which we imagine new ways of life. The foundations of the post-COVID world are being laid down this way right now."
Cheri goes on to describe practical ways to quiet anxiety, face grief and depression, manage trauma, and recover.
If you would like to preview the book, Art Kleiner and Cheri recently posted an article on Medium here and if you would like 1:1 support, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Take good care and I will 'see' you next month!
Julie
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