We have to know what we have to recognize when it’s gone. Inventory comes in all shapes and sizes - from the simple on the shelf version to the complex comprehension of feelings of love and satisfaction. The reality is, we’re always taking inventory if we are aware and conscious.

I attended a workshop last week in Western North Carolina, an area that somehow escaped the wrath of Hurricane Helene. City leaders were coming together to discuss the storm and their respective responses. This was the 7th storm-effected county I had visited since the rains started, but it wasn’t the first time I had heard that particular conversation. They were taking inventory. They were processing the gravity of the event. They were mourning the loss and thanking the Heavens for being spared.

Awareness to assemble is vital to creating and maintaining a resilient community.

I want to share my current inventory with you.

We are never too old to learn. Lessons aren’t saved for the classroom. We have to understand our weakness to maintain our strength.

We are never too old to learn.

I use the analogy of the ‘Sage on the Stage’ a lot these days. I think it comes from the countless conferences I’ve attended over the last 5 years that have left me underwhelmed. I’m generalizing, but the keynotes have felt canned. Maybe I need to find better conferences, but let’s be honest, the conference industry is equal parts programming and profit. Depending on the industry, the programming can be stale…yet the show must go on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in on AI - I just don’t need to hear another white dude in a hoodie telling me all the ways I’m not effectively using the tool.

My point? I’m trading in conferences for seminars and substituting keynotes for workshops. It doesn’t feel like we need inspiration right now. We need education. We need awareness. We need to expand our minds and hearts in new directions. Resilient communities are inclusive communities. We need diversity of thought and a willingness to explore. Burn the playbook. Throw out the map. We need to roll up our sleeves and get our hands in the dirt. We need more “Guides on the Side.”

I can’t move past education until I ramble a little bit about curriculum.

As a GenXer, I am all too familiar with computer-aided everything. Design, Drafting, Gaming, Math, Communication, Music, Art, Research. I remember the analog world and it was slower and harder. Mail. News. Mixtapes (okay that part was actually epic) Mimeographs. Textbooks. Clapping Erasers. Microfiche. Information wasn’t a click away - it was locked inside a catalog of 22 books called an encyclopedia. Access and awareness has changed. As a connected world, the information is at our fingertips and our education system needs a CTRL>ALT>DELETE. Purpose, meaning, and curiosity need to prevail over command and control, memorization, and indexing. That doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate a traditional approach, in fact, it means we can incorporate values, ethics, and understanding because we have more time. Lean in. Don’t be scared. Guide.

Lessons Aren’t Saved for the Classroom

When I reflect on my ‘school years’ not a single memory exists from my traditional classes. I remember my paint smock. I remember the smell of clay. I remember watching the Space Shuttle Challenger explode. I remember distance learning with a classroom in North Carolina (I grew up in Connecticut). I remember Nature’s Classroom in 7th grade - vividly. I remember hosting an exchange student from Southport England. I remember being an exchange student in Southport England. I remember the grit that boarding school taught me. I remember being scared when I chose to go away to college 800 miles from home.

The events of Hurricane Helene have reminded me that ‘They is us.’ We are the community. We are the ones who respond. We bring all of our knowledge, resources, and experiences to the table. The uniqueness in each of us is how we solve complex problems. We are an army of #tinygiants, each armed with a pedigree of human experience and individual knowledge. A world of specialization creates a world of dependency. Recognizing dependencies makes us more resilient.

The way the communities of Western North Carolina are coming back together is nothing short of amazing. Resiliency is front of mind. Necessity is the mother of invention. The soil has been disturbed. The seeds have been sowed. In natural cycles, we bear witness to birth, growth, death, and decay. From the decay comes birth and that’s exactly what’s happening in our mountain communities. Emergence. That’s what happens.

Weakness into Strength

Blisters. Callouses. Aches and pains. I will never forget my second day of my first construction job. I could barely get out of bed. I had spent the previous day pulling out an old vapor barrier in a crawlspace. I was working by myself that day. In, out, up, down, pull, push, fold, cut, crawl, climb. Aside from cutting out after #helene, that was the single most physical day of work I can remember. I swear the universe has a way of reminding us that our weaknesses can turn into strengths…but not without pain, healing, and reflection.

Many factors contribute to creating resiliency. Hardiness, emotional connection, coping, regulation, awareness, science, self-confidence, diversity of thought, and curiosity are a few that come to mind. The best open-innovation workshops I have conducted have had the greatest divergence of thought in the room. Free-flowing, unrestricted, creative thought happens most in our neurodivergent population. My research into (and experience with neurodiversity) has exposed me to the virtue of superpowers. What used to get us ‘the corner’ in the classroom of the 80s now gets us to a deeper conversation if properly moderated and facilitated.

In regenerative systems, we focus on returning strength and resilience to the host. A resilient host will resist externalities and thwart infection. At the farm, the host is the soil. There is no more important ‘system’ to the seed than the soil microbiome. It determines the yield count and nutritional quality. The magic happens where you can’t see it. Weak soil (impregnated with chemical fertilizers) may boost yield but at the expense of nutritional quality. Turning weakness into strength within natural systems causes a little pain. That pain reminds us of our ability to grow stronger. If you feel pain, you’re alive - and you’re growing.

So we’re never too old to learn, the lessons of life don’t necessarily happen in a classroom, and we have the ability to turn our weaknesses into strengths. To me, the hardest part of building resilient systems is reintroducing the human back into the loop. We are so engaged with artificial and linear systems that snapping out tends to be our biggest obstacle. Getting outside and experiencing the wonders of the world helps ground me in awareness. I love the ocean because of its constant reminder of endless energy. I love the mountains because the vastness of the view makes me feel small. I love the rain because it washes away the dust and debris. I love the sun because of the way it feels on my skin. Pair a walk in the woods with a fire and some music and you’ll find me in my best place.

That’s where you’ll find me doing my best work. 🌳🔥🌄

Learn more about my work here.

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Photo by Albert Canite on Unsplash