Creating A Culture Of Connection — The Sparking Approach To Moving Forward From Here

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Photo credit: Astrid Jirka

THIS is a big, juicy post!

Within twenty four hours of the election I had heard from hundreds of people asking me to share my thoughts about how best to move forward. I drafted a long audio response and sent it to some of my closest friends and favorite Sparkers, including Democrats, independents, Republicans, Greens and Libertarians. I was amazed that I heard back in one day from all but four of the people I sent this to. Quite a few people asked me to please put this up on the blog. My apprehension to do has been due primarily to the length of the posts. I have also been concerned that people new to the site might not have as much context for these comments as I would want them to have. Having heard more people today, however, still announcing that they are “too upset to engage,” I decided I should put this up.

I heard from one Sparker that she listened to the two parts of this post while pulling tomatoes from her garden. 🙂 Maybe you can listen while you are driving, prepping dinner etc. I would be very interested to hear your substantive responses AND your sense of how it was for you to listen to a post this long!

I am also going to post a response that just came in from Super Sparker Adam Kane, a leader I have had the honor of coaching who serves as the Executor Director of the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, one of the treasures in the wonderful community of St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

Spark On!

Jeff

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555–Premiere in the series of “The World of Sparks–UNCUT!”

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Photo credit: Astrid Jirka

Over the past few years, several people have apparently made “bootleg” recordings of some of the one-take, “extended play,” uncensored stories I have told on Friday afternoons. I started doing these live in Gainesville, Florida in 2001 when I used to live there and have continued to do them pretty regularly since. Most of the ones recorded were musings and stories I shared at Ngare Sero — the amazing five star eco lodge and yoga retreat center on the slopes of Mt. Meru in Tanzania, which also goes by the name “Sparks Center–Africa.” I have also shared many at the Feed Your Spark Retreat Center in Lincoln, Vermont and in Ithaca where I have lived for the past ten years. I knew that many had been recorded, but I just asked people to keep them to themselves and up until now, that has always been honored, to my knowledge. In the past few weeks a bunch have come in to the Sparks Center and I have decided to start putting them up here and I have started digging through my own private collection to find others.

For those of you who might be new to the site, please note that our normal posts are usually 1 minute and 59 seconds long.

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