<div>That is beautiful Suzanne.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Your words inspire me.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Claudia<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 10:02 PM, doug <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:os@footprintsinthewind.com">os@footprintsinthewind.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Suzanne--<br><br>Wonderful! You keep us all chasing our bliss in this world work.<br><br>I especially like your turn of phrase, "Big talk."<br>
<font color="#888888"><br> :- Doug.<br></font>
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<div class="h5"><br><br><br>On Thu, 2010-04-22 at 09:24 -0400, Suzanne Daigle wrote:<br>> Dear Open Space friends, I was going to send a personal thank you note<br>> to Harrison (who I'm glad to say has become my friend as he is to all<br>
> of you and all of us). Instead I decided to just put myself out there<br>> again in this community and send it to everyone.<br>><br>> As I prepare for my upcoming trip to Berlin, celebrating my first year<br>
> of Open Space following wonderful training by Diane Gibeault in Ottawa<br>> in April last year, I just decided to share my story and my feelings<br>> with all of you. I am truly in awe that Open Space is celebrating 25<br>
> years this year in the city where the Berlin Wall used to be. I<br>> cannot help but feel it is significant -- significant thinking of all<br>> the Berlin Walls that should fall in so many places in our world where<br>
> people feel overwhelmed by the things that seem to be crashing down<br>> around them. Yet I feel that this deep pain is possibly the signal of<br>> a collective and global rebirth. But to notice and see, we must open<br>
> up space in our lives. As we do, we realize that what matters most is<br>> what's inside of us. It's why I am as drawn today to Open Space as I<br>> was the first time I "met" OS a year ago. So today I decided to press<br>
> the "send button" ....thank you Michael Herman that it's working so<br>> well allowing me to share how I'm feeling on the eve of my trip to<br>> Berlin. I can't wait to meet so many that I have been reading here<br>
> and others who I know already. I feel such gratitude to have the<br>> opportunity to be there. I've even decided to do a second training in<br>> Open Space in Berlin to deepen my practice and learning with many from<br>
> other countries.<br>><br>> Now for my note that I had intended to send to Harrison:<br>><br>><br>> Hi dear friend Harrison,<br>><br>> My « bliss » journey continues and I know you said Thank you not<br>
> required. But I still want to say thank you.<br>><br>> You see for me I’ve connected that the “song” (from mythology) leading<br>> me here came from my first encounter of Open Space. It “caught me”<br>> then and without knowing in the darkness of it all, I chose to make it<br>
> my life path. Hugely unsettling as it made me question so much of who<br>> I was and had done in my career and in my life. It led me to a deep<br>> searching, so much reading, throwing myself into Open Space as a<br>
> practice every chance I could finally leading me...inside myself. As<br>> I started to go there and for me this is just the start, I realized<br>> that by just 'being' instead of 'doing', life around me was changing!<br>
> My relationships with my mom, my dad, daughter and siblings, friends<br>> and others are so much richer. I’ve met so many people this past year<br>> leading to so many “big talk” conversations instead of small talk --<br>
> conversations where it feels like we're Expanding our Now. (a<br>> Harrison book).<br>><br>> Often, I felt like I needed to go into my cave disconnecting, knowing<br>> that I will be reconnecting with quiet purpose following my bliss in<br>
> the years ahead. Not easy to do in a society that expects us to do<br>> more and more with less all the time. Plus there is this little thing<br>> called paying your bills. Yes, it has been blissful, easy no!<br>
><br>> As I have embarked on this journey, I read what you’ve and many others<br>> have written, great thinkers and many authors you spoke of in your<br>> books. Myth, philosophy, science, etc. Like a kid, reading Hardy Boy<br>
> mysteries, it’s been magical. And through it all, I think of Open<br>> Space, its principles, its law and what it awakens in many people<br>> inviting them to Freedom and Choice, to the place inside of them that<br>
> makes you feel like a kid again that is your life..<br>><br>> Everywhere around me, I see people racing, running, worrying without<br>> ever having time…or taking time. By opening space, wherever and<br>> whenever I can, 24X7 (for me once a month participating or<br>
> facilitating: this weekend with the Girl Scouts), I feel I can do a<br>> small part for people to perhaps discover as I did the magic that is<br>> within them.<br>><br>> In my continuing words of thank you, a brief paragraph from one of<br>
> Joseph Campbell’s writings captured in the book Pathway to Bliss<br>> talking about Arthur’s banquet hall with all the knights around the<br>> Round Table. To me, it spoke Open Space.<br>><br>> “They thought it would be a disgrace to go forth in a group. Each<br>
> entered the Forest Adventurous at that point which he himself had<br>> chosen, where it was darkest and there was no way or path.” You enter<br>> the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there’s<br>
> a way or path, it is someone else’s path; each human being is a unique<br>> phenomenon. The idea is to find your own pathway to bliss.<br>><br>> Harrison when I sat in a circle for the first time, it felt like a<br>
> scary dark forest for me – someone who had lived in hierarchy all my<br>> life, career and otherwise seeking to do what others defined to be<br>> “living responsibly” in a command-control sort of way. I felt it then<br>
> and I feel it now that by opening space, there is a big chance that<br>> Open Space will "catch others" too. I don't know if you can find this<br>> place alone, by yourself. For me, I found it sitting there with others<br>
> in my first Open Space when I was in Canada. I believe with Open<br>> Space, we can discover ourselves and what we're passionate about and<br>> from that place, we create community, a new community where people can<br>
> just be themselves, give of their individual gifts, appreciate others<br>> and create in a new way, paying attention and noticing what matters,<br>> expanding their now.<br>><br>> So folks, now I press the send button feeling a bit vulnerable,<br>
> questioning as I always do if silence is not more effective because in<br>> the end knowing our journeys are always unique and personal, I know<br>> that it is not by "telling" that we find our journey but in<br>
> discovering it ourselves.<br>><br>> I know had I been reading this before I "met" Open Space leading me to<br>> my path, it would have scared me to read this as if someone was<br>> pushing a religion on me.<br>
><br>> And yet here in this community which feels like home, I felt it was ok<br>> to share especially now less than a month away from the Berlin WOSonOS<br>> with OS happenings in Australia as well and Brian Bainbridge in our<br>
> thoughts.<br>><br>> Love to all, Suzanne<br>><br>><br><br></div></div>
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