so long (a john brehm poem)

To break this day
free from all
the others

to stand at the
morning end
of it and

push off from
the shore
sail beyond

the reach of all
my failures
calling after me

“You can’t just
leave us here”
shaking their fists

crowding into
the water
clamoring “We

made you who
you are” to
feel their voices

growing small
underneath
the surf

the wide un-
knowable ocean
all before me.

- “So Far” by John Brehm
Poetry Magazine Vol 178, June 2001

it’s all guinea pig, all the time

During a recent conversation about event design with my friend, Kathia, one topic that came up was the notion of balancing “pushing the envelope” with the notion of keeping a familiarity and meeting expectations among the participants, at least until a field of trust and engagement is established. While we didn’t couch it in these exact terms, this was the gist.

The more I think about it, the more I think designing to the expectations and familiarity of the participants lacks power and handicaps, rather than helps, a facilitator’s ability to unleash group genius, breakthrough thinking, and shifts of mind…