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Flow of Day 4
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Story of Day 4
by Nguyen Thu Trang (Hippo) Getting up early and walking to the training room to prepare some harvests before breakfast, I found the space filled with beautiful music and people doing mindful dance movements. In another corner of the pagoda complex, another group was meditating. Everyone was enjoying every single minute of the last day together in this training.
After the first three days of arriving, getting to know the materials, preparing threads and weaving our own bags, the last day was all about what we would carry with us back home in the bag. Thus we spent most of the morning in Pro-action Cafe, a process that supports us to move forward with burning projects, using collective wisdom. However, before that, we spent some minutes to start the day with a morning meta harvest, when we were guided to silently express in inner and outer circles what we experienced in the last days: "cooperation", "relationship", “questions”, and so on... Pro-action Cafe started with a calling question: “What crucial action do you really need to take that you have been delaying / avoiding in your life?”. Twelve brave people brought their ideas and projects forward, and showed that the conversations we had over the last three days about relationships did not only influence our relationships, but also our work projects and our ideas for the future. The process took us through three round of conversations to support the project callers: “What is the quest behind the question?”, “What is missing?” and “What’s the next step?”. In the two conversations I participated about English education for young adults, and helping street vendors to have better bicycles, I was deeply touched by the level of listening, in service of the idea and project. The final harvest after three intense and exciting rounds was about one tiny steps we could take right now, both as callers and supporters. |
After Pro-action Cafe wrapped up, we were left with just enough time for a closing so that we could have lunch and head back to Hanoi. It was a strange moment for me to realize I would have only less than an hour left in the same room with all these people. Have I got to know everyone? Have I fulfilled my intended purpose before coming to this training?
A gallery walk to look back at and reflect on the harvests on the wall took us to the Fourfold Practice again - one of the first things we talked about on the first day of the training. After three days full of conversations, learnings and insights, each fold of the practice unfolded a bit more. In silence, each of us chose a fold that we would love to intentionally take our practice when coming back from the training, and wrote down what action we would make. For me, it was about co-creating a community of practice that was awaken inside me. I had always been longing for such space of listening and having deep conversations, then what could I do to co-create and nurture such community wherever I am?
It was hard to say goodbye. It took much longer than anyone could plan for hugs and grateful words to each other after the final closing. We knew from this point on, the important relationships in our lives - with loved ones as well as enemies, with human as well as nature, with our souls as well as material properties - were ready to transform.
A gallery walk to look back at and reflect on the harvests on the wall took us to the Fourfold Practice again - one of the first things we talked about on the first day of the training. After three days full of conversations, learnings and insights, each fold of the practice unfolded a bit more. In silence, each of us chose a fold that we would love to intentionally take our practice when coming back from the training, and wrote down what action we would make. For me, it was about co-creating a community of practice that was awaken inside me. I had always been longing for such space of listening and having deep conversations, then what could I do to co-create and nurture such community wherever I am?
It was hard to say goodbye. It took much longer than anyone could plan for hugs and grateful words to each other after the final closing. We knew from this point on, the important relationships in our lives - with loved ones as well as enemies, with human as well as nature, with our souls as well as material properties - were ready to transform.
Pro-Action Cafe
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Further resources: Pro-Action Café handout & Video
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Check Out with Fourfold Practice
Further resources: The Four-Fold Practice Video
