Some mindfulness at home

This note is a reproduction from a program which I signed up to at my son's school called "Time and Space". It is a wonderful program run by Bill Jennings who kindly gave permission to all members to share his note to families in these Covid-10 lockdown times. As we work through home schooling challenges with our kids I thought this note useful for the people aspects of our balanced scorecard.

The night I spent at my son's school working through the challenges of adolescence from the adolescent perspective, remembering what it was like to go through changes to your body, your voice, your chemical make up as well as finding yourself socially was a good reminder to me that we all face challenges all the time. It was a brilliant experience to share a treasure with my son. My treasure was a picture of us sitting on a rock. Just us, and just a rock in the middle of nature on a break from a bush walk. We were "being". It reminded me that talking, really talking about our hopes, our aspirations, our next move and how we could help each other along the way is actually what our relationship is all about. I think he enjoyed it too. Slowing down and smelling the roses, being an equal in the conversation and importantly being listened to as he reflected on various topics important to him. I hope you enjoy this teaser into how Bill works.

Reproduced below:

Today is my birthday. Sunday the 29th of March 2020.

The world has changed hasn’t it?

So let’s make a change to the way birthdays work. Today I’d like to give you a present where I read you my favourite picture story book. It’s about treasured memories. And if you have little kids in your home, there is an activity on the screen at the end for you all to share your ‘treasures’. I reckon the activity works too for people who consider themselves kids at heart.

On Permission

Getting permission is important. See one of my hero’s, Seth Godin’s most recent daily blogpost here. It is a timely protocol for how we interact as we all are skilling up on video tech and other forms of remote communication in a time of physical distancing. Seth is big on permission.

So who did I get permission from before posting this?

Mem Fox

Thanks to Mem Fox, via her publicist Jenny, saying she was happy for the world to see my scratchy PowerPoint of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. My second last interaction with Mem was on Richelle Hunt’s Afternoons program on ABC Melbourne radio late last year. I sent in a text to the program and Richelle read it out on air.

Mem, Every time I read Wilfred (sic) Gordon McDonald Partridge, a tear comes to my eye when Miss Nancy remembers the brother who went to war and never came back. Thank you. Bill from West Preston. 

The video above is evidence that that SMS is technically incorrect. I made it past the war medals this time. It wasn’t until the last page in this reading that I started to well up with tears.

Mem responded to the SMS on air and I learnt the story behind the story. Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partidge was Mem’s father’s name. Mem finished the interview by reading her latest book, Tiny Star, out loud to Richelle and all her listeners.

Polly Flanagan and her daughter Brigid

Polly Flanagan has been a true champion for us at Time & Space over the last three weeks. My grammar shifts from past to present to future tense all in the one sentence. Polly is an excellent, incisive writer. Polly must have been an amazing English teacher. She is also a recently retired Principal. She helped us craft some email messages to the Principals, Heads and senior leaders in our partner schools. She edited my verbosity and typographical errors.

Our last traditional Time & Space event was on Thursday 12th March – delivered by one of our Melbourne based facilitators. I was in Adelaide at the time and facilitated my last ‘in a school’ event on the Wednesday night. It really was on that Friday the 13th of March that everything started to change. I was at the last ‘in-person’ conference I will be at for a while. I stayed on in Adelaide to join my colleagues from Professional Speakers Australia at our annual convention. One colleague had 30 speaking engagements cancelled within an hour.

Our schools were contacting us as well. Polly helped us with an email that went out to all of our schools scheduled with upcoming events. We asked for them to postpone and not cancel. Many of our partner schools said they would reschedule their Time & Space event. This week Polly helped us with another email. This time we let our schools know that we had created a new program Time & Space at Home. We have now facilitated two events on the Zoom video platform. This past Tuesday some Year 7 girls and their mums (from OLMC in Heidelberg) met in virtual breakout rooms and shared their treasures, which is a feature of every Time & Space event. We had a plenary discussion at the end and one mum said that she loved the fact that she had shared some positive screen time with her daughter. Until then, she had only associated screen time as a negative.

Polly helped us with the email from Launceston. Tasmania’s borders are shut. Her daughter Brigid is in Melbourne and has just had surgery. Brigid is home recovering and this video was the best way I could say ‘thank you’ to Polly and to give Brigid’s three daughters an activity to do at home with their dad, Joe. Annie, Mary and Bridie – it would be great to hear what treasures you choose to share with your dad and your mum when she feels better.

Polly and Brigid are mentioned in my dedication on screen. I got their permission to publish the video mentioning their names. Apologies to Bridie for calling you ‘Heidi’ the second time round.

You Have Permission…

… to share this with someone you think might enjoy the story and the activity

… to share this in your social media channels. I am really only active on Twitter and LinkedIn but share wherever you play and ask folk to pass this birthday gift on.

#SharingTreasures

#SomethingWarm

#SomethingFrom LongAgo

#SomethingThatMakesYouCry

#SomethingThatMakesYouLaugh

#SomethingAsPreciousAsGold "