Skills for Thriving: Connecting Body, Mind and Spirit

At one time, people were rooted in a place and a community. They knew where they belonged and who their people were. They had a sense of where they were going and what the milestones were. In today's world we are global citizens. We move an average of five times during our lifetimes (some of us much more) and the majority of us live more than 600 miles from where we were born and grew up. And these numbers are increasing. Given the speed of technological change and the rapidly changing global economy, our life paths or careers are often unpredictable, with few clear markers and many shifts and changes.

However, our sense of belonging, of "community" and "home" is as necessary today as it was in the past. As we see from recent world events, this sense can no longer be rooted simply in an ethnic identity or in a region or a country. And we still need to have a sense of where we are going and whether what we do has meaning. Our health and well-being depend on our ability to navigate in this present world - our ability to find our home and create our community, our ability to create and find meaning, our ability to contribute.

Over a rich and full lifetime of living, learning and teaching (including three years battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), I have discovered and developed a series of skills and practices that make this sense of belonging and this sense of clarity about our purpose possible even in a world of change and unpredictability. Some of the skills include: creating and sustaining meaningful relationships with self, others and nature; developing a passion for life-long learning; discovering one's unique gifts and talents in order to make a contribution to your community; and awakening the wisdom and healing capacities of the body.

Skills for Thriving is available primarily in semi-silent weekend retreats in nature, and in bi-monthly writing evenings at this time. In addition, this work is an integral part of my individual and couples counseling and will be available in book form hopefully within two years. See "What's Happening" for dates and description of next workshop.