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

Here We Go Again: Snowstorm Prep 2016

Prepare! Don't Let a #WinterStorm Take You by Surprise. https://t.co/1JnO1HYp5Y | https://t.co/Kr39xluFVE pic.twitter.com/dJQb3I4F9I

— NWS (@NWS) January 22, 2016

Things your bookseller might have in their bag. pic.twitter.com/mPHUQxEB0s

— Strand Book Store (@strandbookstore) January 22, 2016

Now, besides all of the things pictured above - which I have - and  the latter of which could be true for a bibliophile/librarian/ME, I also feel prepared for the IMPENDING SNOWSTORM JONAS OF DOOM 2016. 

I'm good.

As long as the power stays on and pipes don't burst that is, but the major feet of snow is going to end up south of us, at least "write now."

I'm really, really good. My fridge is full for the first time in MONTHS.

Because of the off-site work retreat in CT yesterday, I rented a car for 48hrs to get there, pop up to see friend Jane for dinner, head to my favorite Trader Joe's, and then do some errands today.

I could have done more errands but was doing a neighbor a favor, and due to the storm, the urgency was for groceries and beverages.

Here's my cart full at Trader Joe's, which somehow only ended up being 4 full brown-paper bags,and yet, the exact correct amount for my freezer, minus the packaging for some of the frozen brown rice. GO ME! 

(Dad, apparently I DO have some packing spatial relations after all, thank you very much! AND, despite people being jerks and cutting me off, driving with their hazards in the wrong lanes and not driving some of these CT routes in over 10 years, the car was returned fine, no worries, Susan.)

Not pictured in the stockup:

• the 3 flats of Diet Coke bottles and cans residing at the office (the office is Pepsi-stocked); 
• the stash of bags from Target with staples like chunky peanut butter and more soda for the house; 
• the 3 bags/boxes and easels and whiteboards and materials moved for the retreat; 
• and the trashed hauled.

I'm good for groceries and snow activities.  I've got:

• 20 books in a to-be-read pile,
• a bag full of work from the office, not to mention the remote connection to the office, 
• 2 unfinished baby blankets that I could work on, 
• 15 letters I have to write, 
• blog posts to "retroblog,"
• a pile of personal archiving,
• laundry/cleaning,
• filing/bill paying,
• baking/cooking, and oh yes, vegging.

I think I'm actually running a fever, so I'm off to pop NyQuil, get in my pjs, and crash. I'll wake up to a Winter Wonderland of some sort of storm.

Hunker down, ya'll.

Photos of the Day: Rural Retreat of the Rich

 The moon was rising and the sun was setting 

when we left our annual winter work retreat today.

We threw around a lot of ideas. 

It was a pretty Herculean amount of talking and planning. 

Now to keep practicing and refining our techniques.

Fundraising is not a sprint, or a marathon.

It's like a decathlon:

lots of different skills, honed over time;

you have to cross-train;

 and while you may medal in one thing --

it's the combined total of all the events which wins you the gold.

Backyard of the guest house of a Trustee

In Greenwich, CT.

~photos by iPhone

What a Difference a Year Makes! Labor Day 2013

What a difference a year makes. Last Labor Day weekend-time-ish, I was fully immersed in the hazy lazy days of Summer NYC muck, but struggling hard to find the beauty. Occassionally I was able to find those little things - like a marigold pushed into a rust hole in a subway platform - or to look up at the mid-town skyline and discover a lantern-top I'd never seen before.

But ... even then, if you had been reading between the lines, you could tell that I was ready to start ...

screaming ...

running for the hills ...

looking ...

for an escape,

a new view,

a different path,

some perspective or clarity.

Something definitely was fishy!

Luckily, an escape to the shore was arranged where in some serious relaxing and some very pertinent conversations were held.

Tales were told. Carbs were inhaled.

  Sea plums were admired. Shorefront property was envied.

 Sand was felt between our toes. 

Sun, surf, sand, salt, secrets, and "somedays"

 and

 "So, What ifs..."

and here we are a year later.

Thanks Christine.

Thank you just isn't enough.

What a difference a year makes!

Reminder to all:

 Just look for the signs -- so you don't have to bang on the ESC key so much.