New Beginnings, New Voice
I hope this finds you well and that your Summer has been good. I’d like to use this issue to fill you in on my hiatus (during which I concentrated on three personal matters) – and let you know what I’ll be offering next.
My Sabbatical Report
First, I got married. David Reinholz had been a casual friend for 20 years. A while after the passing of his wife, we rather magically found in each other a very deep connection. I said yes… and we eloped in Denmark because it was fun, easy, and it kept our scattered family and friends from needing to travel.
Second, having physically moved from Seattle, WA to Charlotte, NC, I finally completed the psychological move. Of course, I expected to need remote continuation of treasured relationships while starting anew. But I didn’t expect how much I would feel like I had left “the former Marilyn” behind. I learned just how much "who” I was had been tied to 36 years of career and connections there. So, I’ve undergone a long period of reflection, trying to sort out what was being born anew in my identity.
Third, our country and world have changed dramatically this year. We seem more fragmented than ever and many people feel disturbed and isolated. A lot of us recognize the need for a larger conversation at this time. Yet, there are so many news analysts and influencers offering compelling opinions about these changes that I don’t feel a need to add more. I have spent my hiatus thinking of where and how I might add unique value now.
Coming Attractions
Throughout my career, I have been both seeker and guide to leadership and personal growth. And the greatest joy I’ve had has come from helping people discover their own greatness.
I’ve seen the power of this kind of work transform their relationships and fuel their success. Along the way, I have learned as much from others as I was able to share. I believe it is time to broaden my perspective and contribute to the needed conversation by offering what I do well.
For starters, I am reminded of a quote from Terry Tempest Williams:
“Finding beauty in a broken world is creating beauty in the world we find.”
At my core, I am an educator. I think, speak, and write. I can contribute best by shining what light I have on the things I know: how to build bridges and healthy boundaries in relationships – whether as leaders, friends, family members, neighbors.
Ultimately, who we are as individual people affects who we can be collectively. It is going to take each of us evolving toward our best selves to improve our relations with others.
And it’s going to take improving our interpersonal relationships to reduce the extensive fragmentation, isolation, and hatred we find in our world. So, I am dedicating future issues of The Gist of It to anyone open to discourse on this topic.
In the next issue, I will begin by focusing on friendship. With so many people feeling isolated or estranged from others, we need to examine the role friendship plays for us. I'll offer tips (and hopefully inspiration) that can help strengthen your own connections.
I know that my work won’t solve all our problems. But perhaps it can help some of us. I believe:
If we each create the beauty we can, the world itself will be a better place.
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And that’s The Gist of It™ - Promoting humanity by building strong bridges and healthy boundaries in relationships
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Marilyn Gist, PhD