One of the sub themes in the "Market Place" item is all about taking care of yourself. At least that was one of my themes. :-) And I think it is real important. There is something about us "do-gooders" (and I think most of us qualify) that says if you are not suffering and sacrificing, you are not doing a good job. And God forbid you should ever think about taking care of yourself, and even for a moment - and certainly not at the "expense" of the client, if only because they are paying you (or might be).
I think this dog does not hunt - sorry for the "Americanism" - but the translation is - Rubbish! If you don't take care of yourself, you surely can't take care of anybody else. That doesn't mean you should not go the "extra mile," make the best effort, and/or all that sort of stuff. But I think we also have the responsibility to keep a careful eye on our "fuel tanks" (physical, mental, and emotional). When you are running on empty - you don't run. Everybody has to deal with this in their own way. And with a 70 year old body/mind/whatever I will deal with it quite differently than some younger folks. But we all (I think) have the responsibility to pace ourselves and keep a careful eye on the territory. There is a pattern and flow in every OS. You can not calculate it by the minute, but the ebb and flow of energy and need are very real and rather predictable. In the "Opening" you are IT. No place to run, no place to hide - you are the one. And in a lot of situations people's lives (if not their livelihood) hang in the balance. It is not stretching a point to say that you have their lives in your hands. But only briefly, and you do not "own" the lives. So turn them loose and let them go. And then, for goodness sake - take care of yourself. Maybe you are not the napping sort, but a short walk can be wonderful. And the time will come when your presence/focus will be critical. Ready? Just a thought. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20854 Phone 301-365-2093 Skype hhowen Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website www.ho-image.com OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html <http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html> * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist