Weeknotes 5-Changes of scenery
Week commencing 1st March
This week felt adventurous. After spotting cockroaches in a similar place every morning for the past 6 weeks the time came to have our house fumigated. Apparently quite a normal thing for Madrid. A few years ago the whole city was fumigated and word on the street is when nature took over during 2020 as we all dwelled inside in a city built for the outside the cockroaches moved back in with vengeance.
So for 2 nights we relocated to a hotel. This meant that my surroundings changed for a short while, the daily dog walks looked different, the take away coffee tasted different, I looked different on Zoom due to the abundance of natural light in the hotel room.
I noticed a different energy and, usefully, a feeling that it was easier to separate my working hours from the rest of my day and existence. That has been nice.
What I’ve been working on:
- Supporting the identification of potential digital agencies to work on the next phase of a digital project with a sexual abuse and domestic violence organisation we’ve been working with. It’s been incredible to see the journey this team has been on in a short space of time.
- The last ‘Power of Storytelling’ sessions — each one I’ve had the opportunity to join has had a different energy and pace depending on the group engaged. I’m so looking forward to seeing what emerges from the deeper sessions the I Am. We Are. team will deliver on Beyond. I surprised myself in this one by writing a poem, I’m not going to share that in the open but I have written it out and it’s on the wall next to my desk. The beautiful thing about it is it’s not my words — it’s a poem I wrote while listening to someone else’s words. It feels like writing down an echo.
- Contributed to the OD work Shift are leading as part of a workshop bringing together different voices and perspectives. I think the journey this work has been on is very representative of the relationship between the ‘self’, ‘team’ and ‘organisational’ entities which in my opinion we don’t spend enough time thinking about.
What went well:
- Focus thanks to a change of scenery and the emergence of stronger boundaries as a result of that change of scenery
- Being conscious of making time to really listen to the needs and concerns of the sexual abuse and domestic violence organisation we are supporting as they approach their next phase of work. I’m reminded that resistance and feelings of uncertainty are amplified when things are happening for the ‘first time’. There have been so many first times for people this past 2 years and it doesn’t mean ‘first times’ get easier. I listened to the podcast about the FFT (article here) by Brené Brown again as I find her perspective on this useful!
What’s been challenging:
- Not having enough time and space to check in and connect with the DOT PROJECT team as we are now much bigger. I miss people anyway and not having the time to connect can feel difficult!
- The sheer admin related to fumigating a house. Next time I’ll take leave! Actually I really hope there isn’t a next time.
How I’m feeling: discombobulated but in a good way.
