The holidays are over, and I have to say that this past season has been one of the best I can remember! We had our family here from Turkey, Canada, the East Coast and the East Bay. Seven of us were together for 4 days, and the rest of us for more than two weeks.
If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know that Roger Miller is the father of my children, Jaime and Samantha (who was born our son, Max). Roger stays with us when he comes to visit, and we’ve taken vacations together, too. Some people find this odd, and I almost never know what to say to them, when they wonder how it could work for us to spend time together under the same roof.
As a kid, I was always the last one chosen for any team, like volleyball, that involved physical skill, and the first for a team that needed weight — remember Red Rover? The conviction that nobody wins when someone is left out runs deep in me. I never wanted the kids to have to choose between their parents, so Roger and I did the really hard work of coming to terms with each other and ourselves.
Was it easy? No.
Was it quick? No.
Was it successful? Look at the picture and judge for yourself. The kids tell us they’re unique among friends with divorced parents, and grateful for it.
We did it by focusing our energy on our incredible kids — who are the reason we’ve stayed connected all these years — instead of on our difficulties with each other. In the end, we all grew up, and we’re all friends. To me it’s just usual. And it’s gratifying, because I realize how much I’ve gained by making room in my heart for all the people who belong there.
The parallel with our Feldenkrais world is so clear to me. Everyone benefits when practitioners feel connected to each other. Helping people feel like they really belong in our community is one of the most important things we can do.
This is one of the reasons I love the new technology we’re using in our telecalls — it allows practitioners to connect with each other in a private conversation — right on the call!
Knowing that I’m helping practitioners to build their practices AND help them meet new friends gives me lots of juice!
We’ve got some great things planned for this year — if you want to build your practice, stay tuned! If you want to feel connected, just stick around here!
xo, Allison
