Devo Retreat: January 23, 2015

In light of the Devo Retreat for 2016 earlier this week, I remembered I hadn't share notes and pictures from a year ago - my first all-day working off-site retreat with my department since rejoining Caramoor. I had been invited to the 2014 session, but as I was in the last weeks of my Big J tenure and that department's first week of a new leader, I didn't think it was prudent to take off to go to Caramoor.

re·treat

rəˈtrēt/ 

noun

noun: retreat; plural noun: retreats

a quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax;

a period of seclusion for the purposes of prayer and meditation.

This was the second year in a row that Caramoor had rented a Pond House at Bailey Farm in Ossining for the day. Apparently it is used for groups like ours quite often.

 One side of this old farm house is a bit more modern, with conference capabilities, room for yoga, etc.

It overlooks the woods, a deserted greenhouse, and other scenic vistas.

But we liked the cozier, older side of the house, with vintage touches, such as:

We always pack in a variety of brain-stimulating snacks, as we worked through the day.

Of course no department gathering would be complete without food. One of our brain-break activities was decorating birthday cupcakes for Daria whose birthday was the day of the retreat. She took lots of notes so she really deserved her cupcakes.

Each of us had leadership roles throughout the day, leading discussion groups, brainstorming, identifying department goals, values, discussing possible professional and future fun activities, etc. It was intense. (These are our "thinker" poses.)

Being the introvert that I am, I strategically intended my sessions to be more introspective. Since we had been talking all day, I led writing exercises; 1) a drawing of a colleague's name for "notes of affirmation" to be distributed throughout the upcoming months, and 2) a quiet 15-20 minute of writing time for "letters to our future selves." These latter letters were saved and then distributed the week in June that we opened the Gala.

It was fun to see the flurry of affirmation notes that initially went out in the wake of the retreat. Some people maintained the practice for a month or so, while others maintained it throughout the year. The "future selves" letters also seemed to have struck a chord. A few people chose to share their letters with the department when they then opened them in June.

(I may share mine in a latter post.)

Every retreat is different. Every different location has an ambiance which affects the output. Every session leader brings something new to the mix. Every time we have one of these, there is a different dynamic, intent, and intended outcome. It's good to have them, to learn, and grow. I just wish we able to implement all our good ideas.

If there are a few things we can share, without giving away all our company secrets:

• Write anonymous letters of affirmations to your colleagues;
• Always have chips/snacks;
• Have a goals partner and check in;
• Identify non-work "do a fun thing" activities as Festival survival incentives;
• Make professional personal goals (one of mine was to write more - with mixed results);
• and ...
• Laughing/Laughter Yoga - is RIDICULOUS and you should try it.

Hohooohoooooo HAHAHAAAAA

None of us won the PowerBall to wave our magic wands to solve the biggest issues of all, so we may need to retreat and regroup and reassess, some more and more and more.



~photos by iTouch

So This Just Happened ...

I can't make this stuff up. This really happened to me tonight.

I'm at the Chinese place on the corner getting dinner on the way home from the train. As I'm paying for my food and about to pick up my take-away sack full of food and hot mustard packets, the guy behind the counter really looks at me and says: "Where you from?"

Please note, English is NOT his first language. And I was NOT anticipating any personal interactions or potentially loaded conversations.

Not quite understanding, I give him a quizzical look.

He responds: "Where are you from?"

I very hesitantly reply, “America.” But my voice trails up, questioningly, because I have NO idea why he's asking.

He tries to clarify: "Where is your family from?"

I still have NO idea why he's asking, because ... Look, I just want my Chinese food and my sweatpants. I didn't know I was going to get an inquisition with my beef and broccoli.

I give him the easiest, briefest, least complicated answer: "England a long time ago. Why?"

 

He points to my head: "Because, your hair …"

Now, could I tell him that once upon a time in the '70s I did look like a little semi-ethnic child, with the flow of raven locks to the middle of back, or later in the '80s when I have my semi-bowl haircut that I might have been mistaken for someone possibly from Asia and not almost 100% European ... but again, this was just supposed to be about my beef and broccoli. 

Instead, I answer:"Oh. Well. Thanks? We think that’s maybe because of a native American ancestor."

And I quickly left.

I mean, I could try and explain a about the possible native American ancestor, or the possible Spanish relative, or very likely Black Irish or Welsh ancestry - but ... Do you expect a DNA test when you order your no-MSG meal?

So … That happened. At least he didn’t make a comment about the grey, I guess.

Maybe it's time to order the AncestryDNA kits and finally get the answers to the questions. Just so I can finally go back to the Chinese place again.

Summer 2012: Island Hopping, Part 6

My summer of Island Hopping around New York has turned more into a loosely-collected explorations/adventures that include geographic, culinary, and cultural influences. There was the museum trip, the trip to the kitchen island, and then the various yummy foods.

If you can't afford international travel to various islands to experience cuisine and cultures, Manhattan is probably the best place to be. In fact, I've got plans to visit the Scandinavian House later this fall, so I can tick all of those islands off my list - and have some good food. So, when I got a lunch invitation from my gang of former library colleagues to have lunch at a local tea house, I thought it was a perfect fit to be my Asian-themed Island Hopping adventure for the summer.

Well, to a certain extent.

Do you know how hard it is to adhere to religious dietary prohibitions when visiting a tea house? Even the baked goods and dessert have tea in them!

So, a heartfelt Thank You to restaurants that post their menus on their websites, so I can do some reconnaissance and research ahead of time!

Last Thursday, I visited the Radiance Tea House & Books on West 55th in NYC with four of my former library colleagues from Mannes. According to their side: "Radiance Tea House & Books is committed to introducing the profound Asian tea culture and Chinese traditions to the general public. [They] have designed various programs to provide... unique, informative and fun events, which include tea tastings, tea ceremonies and tea classes."

In fact, in this lovely photo from the Radiance Tea House, we sat at that table on the left next to the glass divider (leads to the stairs up from the street), across the the counter. So very zen.
The five of us hadn't managed to get together in a large group in about a year, so we had to catch up on various career and personal news. My former boss also just celebrated his big 4-0, so there were toasts too. Ordering lunch with this gang, however, is always an endeavor - involving shared appetizers, many courses, and lots of laughter. It's not a lunch group you can only spend an hour with -- try about three! Whoever says librarians are a quiet bunch has not spent time with us!

It was only after inhaling lots of dumpling, and lots of plates of food that looked like the Radiance web-site glamor shot of the shrimp dish on the left, that I thought to take out the iTouch to document the three plates of desserts that were ordered to share around the table. Green tea scones (on right),

green and black tea ice cream (left), and mochi (right) in various flavors, including, quell surprise, green tea and black tea with a side of some tea based drink. It may look like a lot for four people, but they did divvy it up pretty well. I literally could only eat a piece of the peanut butter mochi (above right photo, mochi on the left next to the purple taro-flavored sweet).

I can almost sense the laughter from parents and my younger self at me eating exotic foods like mochi - As a kid, I wouldn't try anything new! This would be entirely out of my realm of imagination. It's amazing what all I've been able to experience over the years.

Because it's not always about the food, but the friends - and all that they bring to your life and table.

After an almost three hour lunch, I made an unprecedented decision not to go back to work. Never, since I started working at 16, have I just decided to skip out of work without telling anyone. However, with everyone in the office out on vacation, an early dismissal day planned for the next day, I decided if I ever was going to play hookey, this day was it.

It was a great way to wind the summer down and get off the Island early. I even went to bed -- before 9 p.m. It was marvelous what a good 10 hours of sleep will do for your frame of mind.

Happy Fourth of July!

While I'm enjoying a "staycation" July 4th this year,
I hope you're enjoying all kinds of holiday traditions.

Perhaps you are traveling?

Pay attention to the little quirky things you see on the road --
Like these menus from Idaho local haunt.

Maybe you are enjoying traditional American fare. Perhaps fried chicken and an Idaho russet swimming in butter, or an iced cold A&W root beer or ice cream float after a long drive on your Harley?

What's more American than apple pie made from local apples from your farmers market or local general store?
Or enjoying a quick coffee, a local drop of flavor in America's culinary melting pot?

Maybe you are using the day to indulge in a bit of wood working? Making some handicrafts?
You never know. They may end up in a museum in Chicago, to be enjoyed by people from around the world, like this Whirligig at the Art Institute.

Perhaps you are enjoying a day of hauling out and revving up the old artillery, for a bunch of parades and/or
in preparation for an evening of sparklers and fireworks?

Just be careful in drought areas.
One spark could equal wildfires. Take caution -- or just watch the extravaganzas on the television.
(Only you can avoid forest fires. ~ Smoky the Bear)

On behalf of Lady Liberty, Uncle Sam, and The Shushing Librarian, we wish you a Happy Independence Day.