When Fall is on the Horizon
Hello!
It's the middle of summer. Often, at this moment, we are thick in the midst of it - and we are also looking towards the Fall.
In the midst of it: The garden is blooming! More updates on that later this week. And so too is some of the work we are developing around the future of rural education.
And - wow, but it's hot out there! We are going to be sharing a longer email/article/resource collection around heat later, which is becoming an increasingly vital conversation. I'm reading, "The Heat Will Kill You First" which is a powerful book. Let us know what you are reading/finding to be helpful on this topic of heat!
And: right, Fall is coming. For a lot of people, it's just around the corner.
Midsummer is often a time where we feel the tension to take time off and to do some serious strategy about the coming Fall/Winter, both at a personal level and at an organizational level.
We are so curious: What kinds of programs are you excited about offering? Attending? We would love to know.
Sometimes, planning, especially deep-dives, can be overwhelming, adding to what many people experience as an overwhelming season. Between kids being off from school (requiring different food schedules and different childcare rhythms for your day), just the act of 'summering' - be that more time in the garden, fixing the bike, pressure for extra family time (which could be stressful, joyful, or both), cleaning the garage so you can get to where you put that flotation device - is its own project, and that takes time. And - getting clear about our values/priorities. Which happens to also be part of strategic thinking. I enjoyed this podcast on thinking about Overcoming Overwhelm, based on a book by a holistic health practitioner, Dr. Samantha Brody- maybe you will, too!
At Rē, we are definitely involved in looking towards the Fall and our larger planning. As we do so, we find ourselves reflecting on not just 'what' but 'how' - as in, how do we decide what to focus on?
I suspect many of you are asking similar questions!
A lot of times, strategic conversations focus on some variation 'where do you want to go - vision - and then plot backwards.'
But that often doesn't put nearly enough time and effort into thinking about context. Where are you? Where have you just been?
The present moment - where are you - includes not just 'you' but the wider political-economic-social-ecological ecosystem that you are in.
What is your ecosystem? What are the needs of your communities and stakeholders? How do you fit into it? Who would miss you if you didn't show up? What are you really good at, and what do you need to stop doing?
To make a plan (say, at the beginning of 2024) means you get to keep course-correcting. You have to keep adapting the plan. Cuz the world is not a stable place. Making adjustments to the plan is always necessary. That's what makes it a good plan: it is dynamic.
The Now-looking-towards future can, at best, include looking at the big trends that you need to be paying attention to? Answering this question is at once an individual and collective process. It can be a super meaningful inquiry for educators and participatory action researchers at all levels!
For those of us listening to ecological and social rhythms, we know we need to be listening not only to 'ourselves' but to the ecosystems around us as we think through our own strategic plans for the rest of the year.
A warming planet means that the meaning of the seasons are changing. Summer is not only hot, it's really hot, and wildfires and heat waves are a real danger. What does it mean to integrate climate change and climate resilience into your overarching strategic plan for the next few years - and for the next 6 months?
Our world is so in need of creative responses to ongoing challenges - and for that level of creativity, you need various forms of nourishment. What is nourishment for you - and how can you nourish yourself now, as you plan for the Fall?
For many people, that includes vacation time. Where do you go? What does it mean to be 'off' for you? What are the structures, processes, and family conversations that enable downtime that is actually nourishing for you - and not just another form of getting exhausted?
And, of course, this November will be election season in the United States. Which means that the political climate will (continue) to be fraught, and probably very divisive. What kind of engagement do you want to have in it? How might that division impact you and your community? Are you able to talk with your colleagues about it?
We are curious: what kinds of big-picture questions are you thinking about? As you look at Fall, approaching over the horizon?
See you soon!
- Sara Jolena