DAY 7: Be Open - Be Generous

I wish I could capture all the great stories in the book, but you'll just have to go take a look at it for yourself. The end of this first week of challenges is marked by the second of Patti's 'i' words - Inclusion.



In my intercultural and coaching work, I find myself starting groups, organizing events, doing things that bring people together, encouraging them to get to know people they might not have otherwise talked to. Patti writes in her book,

"Creating inclusion requires being generous. Most often it consists of simply extending a hand. That's hard to do if you are grasping tightly to your sand, your rightness, your belief system...your definition of normal."

When I was a child I was very shy. I could easily hide behind one sister or the other. I was quiet and I cried easily. Luckily, my life has provided me with all kinds of opportunities to learn about people, and even though I still don't like walking into a room full of people I don't know, NOW I realize the potential of meeting someone interesting. "Generosity comes from opening ourselves to others", writes Patti.

Looks like these people have the same idea!

So, the challenge: Grab your journal and go to a cafe, restaurant or park - some place there are other people around. Listen to the rhythm of the conversations around you. Capture snippets of the conversation by writing phrases you hear for 5 minutes. Then spend 5 minutes creating a poem from the pool of phrases. And help someone while you're there. Perform one small act of kindness.

Results: I have to admit, I didn't make it further from my house today than the forest next door. But the plan is to hit a cafe tomorrow and sit for at least 30 minutes and listen. I will check in and perhaps even share my poem.

On another note, to follow taking a closer look at things, and finding wonder and art in LIFE - I found this bead. Take a look at it. Really look. What does it remind you of?!

For me, it looked like a small planet earth. Like I was holding a very small planet in my hand. And to think that someone made this bead by melting glass rods over a very hot flame and twisting. Pretty incredible. The woman who made it lives in Stuttgard, Germany. Check out her beads!