wisdom

In April I will be leading a spiritual retreat for women in my home city of Calgary Alberta. I am particularly delighted to be invited to this task because of my many close relationships in Calgary, as well as a long standing respectful relationship with the retreat center there.

My communication with the retreat leader includes, of course, travel plans. The group is inviting me to choose my own flights (a necessity for me) and offering a generous budget. In return, I assured them I would choose the most efficient flight.

The leader responded with this: "We appreciate your wanting to find the lowest airfare, but having as few plane transfers/stops as possible is a priority. We also want you to have an enjoyable time getting here and returning. A friend just reminded me that one of the goals of the weekend is to have fun, so please ensure your travel arrangements do not make the trip onerous."

A response like this is rare and beautiful. It is stunning in it's rarity. This group is not flush with money, but they are choosing for life. I feel the respect and love that motivates this kind of generosity.

The response of the team to my travel needs is formational wisdom. In a moment they take the burden of expediency off me and restore a profoundly free and honoring sense of lively humanity. I love it, particularly in light of the fact that the content of the retreat is human formation.

Thank you Pauline.