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#200: Silver Linings

Last Thursday and Friday, I learned, over the course of 24 hours, that schools in NY State are officially closed for the rest of the year, and that my three kids’ 7-week sleepaway summer camp (the highlight of their year) is cancelled.

Within the parameters of us being collectively lucky, safe, and relatively unaffected by this pandemic, this was a huge blow. We now have four more months of trying to keep the kids happy, healthy and cared for, while my wife and I manage our two jobs.

I have to admit, this unmoored me.

Sasha DichterMay 7, 2020Sasha DichterComment

#199: Anti-Pet Peeves - Meets - Masks

Early this morning at about 6:20am, I stopped at a rest area on Interstate 87 while heading down from Saratoga to Pleasantville. I realized two anti-pet-peeves about the now ubiquitous face masks being worn!

Anti-Pet Peeve #1 Putting on my face mask as I headed into the truly gorgeous rest area…

Anti-Pet Peeves #2 Removing my face mask after I left the building as was back near my car…

As I thought of these anti-pet-peeves, I thought, “geez, that’s funny! One joy comes from putting it on and one joy comes from taking it off! Funny??!!”

Pip CoburnMay 1, 2020Pip CoburnComment

#198: Doing Nothing

I did my first live Zoom yoga class this morning. Lately, I’ve just been squeezing in small self-practices when I can, or doing a pre-recorded class, but I was craving some social connection, so I decided to seek out a live online class at the studio I used to go to.

After nearly every single yoga class, I always am amazed by the changes I notice in my mind and body. It almost surprises me every time, too. Like, I’ve been practicing for 10 years, how is each time still so new and profound? But, that’s what it is like when working and exploring your own mind and body from a space of curiosity, letting go and conscious breathing: there’s never-ending stuff to discover.

Jaime PosaApril 30, 2020Jaime PosaComment

#197: Earth Day-Inspired Anti Pet Peeves

As I was reaching out to collect anti pet peeves for Earth Day, Maria responded with a more extensive list, and I decided to share this wonderfully detailed list with the community! She also used her inspiration to create a little collage to go with it as you'll see below! I hope you enjoy - I am ALL for celebrating Earth Day not just on the 22nd, but everyday :) Thank you for keeping the theme going, Maria!

Maria SouzaApril 28, 2020Community, Maria SouzaComment

#196: Earth Day-Themed Anti-Pet Peeve Collections - PART 2

The hummingbirds in my neighborhood buzzing right past me to get to the feeder right after I've filled it, and the amazing sound their wings make up close. - Alex Knight

I love my soap (Sappo Hill, can be purchased on Amazon) and floss (Eco Dent, can be purchased on Amazon) that are packaged in paper without plastic. AND, ever since I read Joel Salatin’s book (I don’t remember if it was "Folks This Ain’t Normal" or "Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal”), every time I flush a toilet, I think of his fantastical idea of using red wiggler worms to vermicompost human waste instead of flushing our waste down the drain with precious water and grin that he is so radical. - Ann Chung

CommunityApril 22, 2020Community, Anti Pet PeevesComment

#195: Earth Day-Themed Anti-Pet Peeve Collections - Part 1

People who take the time to gather scraps to compost. And the existence of community gardens in NYC. - Sandra Diaz

Sunrise, particularly the 20 minutes or so before the sun breaks the horizon when we get views like this (picture attached). - Barry Haimes

I have been struck by images of wildlife occupying spaces now emptied of humans: Kashmiri goats climbing the hedges of a Welsh town, penguins exploring the corridors of the Shedd Aquarium. Fauna and fowl have likewise become more abundant near my apartment in London. Wood pigeons congregate on the roof of the day nursery, a fox takes laps after nightfall, and mallards fly low down the street each morning. All this serves as a gentle reminder that we might yet be guests in the strange territory of others. - David Kim

CommunityApril 21, 2020Anti Pet Peeves, CommunityComment

#194: Stress is Not the Problem: Dr. Mo Pickens on Taking Real Breaks

Almost two weeks ago now, we released a podcast with our friend Dr. Mo Pickens on 5 practices for leadership during a time of crisis. Today we’re releasing a podcast he made with Brynne for Coburn Ventures on taking “real” breaks - in other words, checking your email does not always count as a break! I think many of us have the tendency to think that taking a break is inherently unproductive or a sign of weakness…but Mo questions this assumption. Thank you, Mo - these are such good reminders during a time where I am sure we have all at some point felt like we are living in some version of Groundhog Day :) The podcast link is down below!

Morris PickensApril 19, 2020Mo Pickens, Listeners CircleComment

#193: Far Away From Here

“Have you heard? That new virus is spreading like crazy in Wuhan, China. That seems just awful.”

“Oh gosh, now there are tons of cases in Italy and Iran. I heard it came from a bat. How terrifying. Thank goodness there are only a few cases here.”

“It’s exploded in New Rochelle, just outside New York city, and cases are increasing across Europe. Close the borders.”

“New York is the epicenter of coronavirus in the U.S. Those damn, godless New Yorkers, all pressed up against each other. Good thing we’re safe out here in Texas. Or Wyoming. Or Nevada. Or in Lagos or Delhi or Mexico City for that matter.”

Sasha DichterApril 16, 2020Sasha DichterComment

#192: We’re All In The Crisis Of Nothing

We’ve all been through moments in life when a crisis disrupts the patterns of how we spend our time. For me, it might be something as small as missing a flight, which forces me to spend the entire day reconfiguring travel arrangements. For others it might be caring for a child with a broken arm, or dealing with a work issue that upends an entire week.

Or, as the case is now, the crisis might be as shared and massive as a global pandemic. It appears to have forced almost half the planet to reconfigure their time to do…. Well….. nothing. Just sit. Nothing.

Robert RoseApril 15, 2020Rob RoseComment

#191: Anti Pet Peeves - A Dose of Joy

No matter how crisis-ridden and unstable the world is, tulips are determined to bloom. - JC Herz

How it doesn’t take me any effort to motivate my son to go on a run (before corona, it was most difficult to get him off the couch) 😂 - Jorgen van der Sloot

Flying (Strange how quickly that changed). - Matthias Hollwich

CommunityApril 10, 2020Anti Pet Peeves, CommunityComment

#190: Leadership During Crisis: 5 Specific Practices

Dr. Morris Pickens is a member of the Community for Change and also is a “wildcard” for some of our Coburn Ventures work. He wrote this piece highlighting 5 practices for leadership during a time of crisis, like the moment we currently find ourselves in, that we shared with our Coburn Ventures audience. We also wanted to share it with all of you. Mo’s piece is attached as a PDF, and there is also a link below for a podcast interview he did with Brynne on this same topic.

Thank you, Mo, for your endless wisdom and giving us guidance during this difficult time.

Morris PickensApril 9, 2020Mo Pickens, Listeners CircleComment

#189: CFC Connection Story

Last year, Elana invited me to be a guest monologist for "The Armando Diaz Experience" (link), an improv show at the Magnet Theater in NYC. In this show, the monologist takes a suggestion from the audience and/or shares true stories from their life. These stories are then brought to life by a cast of improv performers. One show has three acts and it happens every Saturday evening.

Maria SouzaApril 7, 2020Maria SouzaComment

#188: Another Joyful List of Anti-Pet Peeves

I had collected anti pet-peeves for the month of February, asking some community members to share a single anti-pet peeve of theirs. However, I am discovering a common occurrence when I ask people to share their anti pet-peeve: Once they start with one, it's hard to stop!

Below is the list that Matthias graciously came up with and shared. What a great way to start a new month! Enjoy!

Matthias HollwichApril 1, 2020Matthias HollwichComment

#187: Falling Down is the Answer

A few months or more ago, I began greatly reducing the amount of times I help Ellie. Can’t reach something up on a shelf? Oh well. Getting frustrated when her ball rolls under the table, just out of reach. Ugh, bummer. Trips and falls? Even drops her head and whimpers a little? I get a little closer, offer some words or perhaps a rub on the back if it seemed to frighten her, but for the most part, I’m working on giving up “saving her” from her own problems.

Jaime PosaMarch 30, 2020Jaime PosaComment

#186: The beauty of this pandemic

I'm writing this from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where the schools have been closed for at least three weeks and almost everyone is working from home. Only the most vital functions in society are still fully operational: people in healthcare, educators, law enforcement, fire brigades, government, etc. I'm sure most of you across the globe are experiencing something similar or will soon. We can still go outside on the streets here and when you do, you see a new kind of society. I see parents with their kids playing, educating, and shopping. The rat race has come to a full stop. Everyone nods at each other in mutual understanding. I wondered: can you imagine when society stays like this, what it would feel like? Of course, we have to beat that virus (it's horrible, no question about that), but can you imagine a society in which the truly important functions are really valued for what they do? Can you imagine a society in which the rest of us are just taking a step back and have come to terms with 'less'?

Jörgen Van der SlootMarch 25, 2020Jörgen Van der SlootComment

#185: Vanishing Borders: When Kids Crash the Video Call

A few years ago, in Park City, Utah, near the completion of a two-day gathering we call Road Makers, Rob Rose said that it was so nice and valuable to have a space he could show up not as a superhero—which is often required at business gatherings—but, instead, as his alter ego Clark Kent.

Way back in the 1990s, a family friend switched jobs.

Pip CoburnMarch 23, 2020Pip CoburnComment

#184: Using Social Media for Anti-Loneliness

In preparation for writing about the Community for Change and Instagram, Pip asked me to think about perhaps my own first Instagram post. I remember it very clearly, actually. It was back in 2012 when my older, cooler cousin told me about this app called Instagram where you could post photos. I downloaded it, and my first photo was of bouquets of sunflowers I had hung upside down with twine – with a very heavy, color-saturated filter, of course.

Lauren CulbertsonMarch 19, 2020Lauren CulbertsonComment

#183: Too Small to Fail

I am highlighting April Tam Smith’s note below on PS Kitchen…

For context…

I remember back in 2009 as some extremely large companies were bailed out the phrase “too big to fail” became popularized… and quickly demonized. People HATE that phrase.

I think NOW we are quickly understanding too small to fail.

I have no idea what the actual numbers are, but everyone I know knows people who will have no work and people whose small businesses may face real survival issues.

I am highlighting this note from our dear friend April.

April Tam SmithMarch 18, 2020April Tam SmithComment

#182: The Second Wave

A week ago, I felt ahead of the coronavirus curve. Our town had closed schools as of the prior Sunday night, so our kids were already at home. Our community had started social distancing and I was already staying home from work. Meanwhile, the rest of the country, and most of the rest of the world, was going about business as usual.

What a difference a week makes.

If last week my community was living through a first, early wave, this week everyone everywhere got hit head-on with a mammoth second wave, and it’s knocked us off our feet.

Sasha DichterMarch 17, 2020Sasha DichterComment

#181: An Opportunity for Nearing

I feel blessed to be a part of this community. In thinking about the serious challenges and uncertainty we face a few things have come to mind that Pip invited me to share.

Irwin KulaMarch 15, 2020Irwin KulaComment