In a conversation last week with my dear friend April Sunshine Hawkins, she asked how I was feeling about embarking on an experiment together where we didn’t have all of our ducks perfectly in a row. She and I are very good at getting our ducks in a row, and also, we’ve come to know the sweet inhale and exhale of settling into the being part of being a human being, rather than trying to substitute our being with doing.
And here’s something fun to know about the words we exchanged that day: you can listen to this whole conversation, because we recorded it on a Substack live!
This was the first of four conversations that we’re trying out in this way, hopping online together across continents, chatting and circling with a couple of sweet friends. We’re calling these chats My Friends Who Know Things, and instead of trying to craft carefully scripted content, we’re simply having conversations about things that we know and things that we’re learning, inviting you tune in with what you know, too!
I loved our first conversation this past week for so many reasons. A highlight was definitely having the imagery of free range ducks (in contrast with ducks-in-a-row) spontaneously pop into my imagination, and those little ducks have been living in my mind rent free since. I love imagining their adorable little selves (the cute little yellow fluffy ones…!) not being forced or smushed into an order or stillness that restricts their existence, their play, their rest, their being.
There are so many parts of me inside who resonate with the stress of trying to get-it-together like a duck-in-a-row, and also, parts of me who resonate with the contrasted sweet ease and delight of a free range scene on some bright green pastures. April’s words and images reminded me of how much shoulds and musts can constrain us and haunt us, keeping us from moving freely through our days.
If you’re curious to hear more of our conversation, you can watch the replay right here! 🐥
Tune in next week for our next live video, or catch the replay after!
Live videos are Thursdays at 11:15am central 🎬
Thursday November 5th = a conversation with April’s friend, Isabelle
Thursday November 12th = a conversation with my friend, Paige
Thursday November 19th = a closing conversation with April & me
A little introduction to my friend April 💛
I met April Sunshine Hawkins a couple of years ago at a Sacred Feminine retreat alongside some of the greatest humans I’ve ever met. Since then, we haven’t let go, playing with what it looks like to hold on tight across cities and continents, journeying together through all the real and silly things of life.
April’s joy is contagious. Her curiosity is deep. Her kindness is tender and fierce. She is a woman who knows some things and who I’m excited for you to get to know her through our chats here!
And she absolutely brings a little untz untz everywhere she goes :)
