To be an individual drop in the tide of change...
As news rolls around the world of deeply turbulent times, it settles uneasily in our hearts. It can indeed feel like we are on very shaky and uncertain ground. It can be so easy to feel overwhelmed, uncertain, even cynical. Where to turn? What to do? What difference can I make or will my work make?The questions are understandable and legitimate. But let’s lay it down on the line: what we choose to pay attention to matters. What we choose to create, support, honour and do with our time, talent and attention matters more than ever. Our kindness, our compassion, our empathy, our trust in strangers, our courage to keep going, our hope and our actions, send out ripple effects. Individually they may be small but even a small act can welcome a stranger, or see the beauty in the broken bits.You see alongside the turbulence, there is another a rising tide- a tide of people stepping up to their dreams, visions and values. We have seen the rise of creative leadership, a whole new field of social entrepreneurship and investment, the tech for good movement, the environmental movement, and those reaching out a hand to refugees, those choosing not to give into hate or fear, those willing to see beyond the black and white headlines. This rising tide knows there is always a choice.So, today, as the sad news enters into a deep chamber of the heart, let’s all do something small for another person. Something kind and compassionate; something simple that signals that there is always another way. It’s not to deny what is happening but it is to be part of the countercurrent.So maybe there is a person you have not been in touch with for a while- give them a call and say hello, tell them how much you have missed them. Maybe there is a cause you care about- make a donation. Maybe a loved one really needs a hug- offer your arms as a home and a haven. Yes, they are simple things, but each act, no matter how small are the individual the drops in the tide of change.With that in mind I have listed a few things in the resources and shared some happenings which are part of the tide too.Onwards, with hopeClare. xx
Resources & Happenings
Street Feast is happening again, with the big hearted Sam Bishop at the helm. Sunday 11th June. Time to get the tables, chairs and neighbours out..This Fund It Campaign: My friend Libby set up this wonderful dance company, Traces, which challenges perceptions of dance and disability. Now her daughter, Jessie Rowell is putting together a new show in collaboration with Downs Syndrome Ireland.I’ve never met Bill Megalos in person, but our paths online paths crossed years back and I have been tracking his beautiful initiatives. This time he is in Greece, making a documentary, Stuck in the Doorway’ about the refugees who are stranded as Europe continues to close its borders.The indefatigable Ruairi Mc Kiernan is also at it again, this time with his beautiful podcast, Love and Courage. I turn, over and over again, to the work and words of Krista Tippett. Her On Being radio show is solace and balm. Dive into the archives. This episode with Joanna Macy is rich with spirit. I have been studying the work of Diane Muso Hamilton via her book ‘The Zen of You and Me’- A Guide to getting along with just about anyone (thank you Mari Kennedy for making the link). Both Diane and Mari are wise women, and the book feels globally timely.I find a tribe of beauty and compassion gathering around the work of Elena Brower. Her Teach.Yoga site has beautiful resources and connections to great teachers around the world.I loved this interview on Design Matters with writer and illustrator Maira Kalman. Mario’s curiosity and quest for the extraordinary in the ordinary served a great reminder that inspiration is everywhere.This TED talk with architect Siamak Hariri, who was the designer of the first Baha’i Temple in South America, speaks about designing for sacred space, taking inspiration from the swirls, twists and texture in nature. It too is a story of hope.And if you fancy a bit of fun this weekend, and you happen to be in West Cork, the Fastnet Film Festival in Schull is starting tomorrow. I’ll be hopping over to Long Island to see The Crash Ensemble perform at dusk. Magic in the making..
In Memory
I would like to make a special mention in the post to the late Eamonn O’Dwyer. Eamonn was a mentor of mine in the early days of Suas when he voluntarily offered his time and impeccable facilitation skills helping us design the leadership training for our volunteer programme. He later became a board member of the organisation and I subsequently became a family friend, getting to know his beautiful wife, Tessa, and his three children. Eamonn sadly passed away earlier this month after a graceful and deeply open hearted struggle through cancer. As much as his life was an inspiration, his death has been too. He was one of those people who sent major ripple effects into the world by his very presence, compassion and insatiable zest for life. He was one of tide changers. His inspiration lives on. May you rest in beautiful peace, dear Eamonn and thank you for all, always.
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