GOOD NEWS: Family Matters
Family Matters
As I watch our children transition to becoming independent adults, parents becoming a bit more reliant on others, and clients moving from startup to and through maturity or even winding down, it occurs to me that nothing is static. The only constant in our individual, organizational, and community lives is change. Often the change is energizing and productive. Sometimes it is exhausting and demoralizing.
So how do people and organizations progress through each iteration? By establishing and keeping close contact with others who know and care about them. Families formed through births and legal unions provide inescapable contacts while other close connections are forged through shared experiences over time. The most successful families and clients seek internal and external communication with intention.
They know how to ask questions and listen carefully to what others have to say, especially when debriefing successes and seeking paths forward through complex circumstances. The most effective groups always are multigenerational and diverse with respect to gender, race, and other lived experiences. On occasion, a versatile, experienced external resource like To the Good is necessary for mediation, generation or implementation of good ideas.
Whether it is through marriage and the addition of a child or close relationships resulting from professional or personal moment after moment, the undeniable conclusion is that family matters. Maybe your family consists of grandparents, parents, children, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Or maybe you spend much of your waking and most fulfilling moments with friends or colleagues at your school, company or nonprofit. Whatever the reason for gathering, we are the product of the people we spend the most time with and what we do together. Who do you spend your time with and how?
I hope you enjoy this anonymous family foundation client’s perspective on why family matters and what it takes for generations to stay connected and productive. And please check out the links below about family as it relates to school, work, and life choices.
Merry and Happy Everything these next few holiday weeks.
Village Creation and Bus Driving
Aahh, the magic of Christmas! My husband and I watched a performance of The Nutcracker recently in Playhouse Square, Cleveland. We sat in an old, beautifully renovated Connor Theater, with a broad demographic in the audience, all enjoying the efforts of a “village” that together made it possible for the show to go on! Years ago, after the devastating economic crisis of 2008, a few people in Cleveland decided that its theater district was worth saving, and a few more thought Cleveland needed to revive the Cleveland Ballet. Hard work brought some success. With renovations complete, the dance company slowly grew from 6 dancers to 26. And then Covid hit. Again, they picked themselves up and got to work. And last night they played to a full house. A vision, and a village, all resulting in large part from many families coming together in the spirit of furthering the common good through collaboration, hard work, and creative thinking.
My father’s mantra has always been “Make It Happen!” and this past year I have built a village to help me work toward my own goals. My village begins with my family, now 3 generations. It also includes many like-minds who share a passion for connecting people to nature through outdoor education and exploration. Such a focus is especially important now, when our mental and physical health need nature and time outdoors - Vitamin N - away from technology and the addicting digital world. We’ve got a long way to go, but have made a lot of progress. My main contribution has been to build a team ready to work together toward a common goal. I may be driving the bus but the seats are filled with many voices and perspectives that help me steer it. In the first rows behind the driver’s seat are the elders of my family. All respect their wise counsel. Behind them are the next generation and the next one, keeping us focused on the future.
Family gives me strength and perseverance to face any challenge. Family reminds me that loving relationships forged through shared experiences over time are the best way to stay connected and sharp. Who is my family? My family starts with inextricable ties that bind through lineage and marriage. It extends to those I care so much about as a result of sustained professional, volunteer or personal experiences rooted in shared values and goals. May this season of giving and goal setting bring you and those closest to you many opportunities for togetherness and purpose.
Anonymous Family Foundation Client that I Admire Greatly and Learn from Constantly
Things I’m Watching, Listening to, and Reading
Family and Schools?
(5 minute read)
“It follows from this research that if we want our child to be healthy, well-off, and happy as an adult, our top priority as parents should not be to enroll our child in a high-achieving school; instead, our first priority should be to teach our child to be helpful, honest, and self-controlled.”
https://ifstudies.org/blog/when-is-the-best-school-not-the-best
Family and Work?
(7 minute view)
“What did we learn about remote work from the pandemic? We learned that many employers were completely wrong to think their employees could not be productive or trusted with remote work.”
https://youtu.be/vjL0NYeDmRE
Family and Flow?
(3 minute read)
“We can’t afford to become trapped within ourselves, our jobs, and religions, and lose sight of the entire tapestry of life,” he said in a 1995 interview with Omni magazine. “When the self loses itself in a transcendent purpose — whether to write great poetry, craft beautiful furniture, understand the motions of galaxies, or help children be happier — the self becomes largely invulnerable to the fears and setbacks of ordinary existence.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/27/science/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-dead.html
(10 minute listen)
https://www.npr.org/2015/04/17/399806632/what-makes-a-life-worth-living
