These strange days

It’s been almost a week now of living in semi-isolation. My family and I are spending slow days at home, feeling grateful for warmer days so that we can work and play outside in the yard. Also feeling grateful for our unconventional lifestyle - we homeschool our kids, and both my husband and I work freelance - so that the disruption to our daily rhythm feels less extreme.

But we’re still impacted. We’re limiting trips away from the house and only leaving for essential supplies like food and propane. We are canceling plans with friends and family. And many of those freelance jobs have been canceled or postponed.

The future is uncertain, but I am grateful for current health, security, and connection to friends and family near and far.

I know that this current situation and the future uncertainty will impact each of us differently. How are you doing? What are your immediate needs and your longer term worries? How has your daily rhythm been impacted? How are you staying connected with others?

On the Road…

My work offers me opportunities to travel to all corners of New York State, and this month I was extremely lucky to spend time in two of my favorite cities - Albany and Buffalo.

I spent the first week of March at Mediation Matters, training their latest group of potential volunteer mediator. The four days flew by with this spirited group, as we explored our own responses to conflict and practiced intervening as third-party neutrals. It felt like a party and by the end we had formed a strong sense of community.

Then it was up and over to Buffalo to spend a week with the talented and generous team at Center for Resolution and Justice. The room was full of intelligent and courageous professionals, each committed to applying themselves to the practice of mediation. By the end of our four days together, it became clear that we were all going to be self-isolating in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In light of that reality, we were all especially grateful to have spent this time committing to building peace in our communities.

With so much still unknown about the immediate future of our world, and even more uncertainty about the longer term, I feel especially grateful for my work and for the opportunity to connect with so many amazing peace makers. Thank you for joining me on this path.

Mediation Matters

Center for Resolution and Justice

Fun on Long Island

Recently I had the pleasure of leading a Basic Mediation Training for the Long Island Dispute Resolution Center (link here) in Hauppauge, NY. It was a great four days full of laughter, hard work, and great conversation.

I’m always grateful for the diversity of perspectives, and the open-mindedness of the group. And this was a diverse group! Many distinguished individuals from a variety of backgrounds, each approaching the work with humility.

Mediation can challenge our deeply held beliefs about conflict and what it means to have a constructive conversation. Have you completed a mediation training yet? How did your training challenge your ideas or values around conflict?