It feels like just yesterday I was rocking out with my kids on our deck to “School’s Out For Summer!” And what a summer it was! It seems like everyone I know was jetting off to somewhere magical. I hope that you had the same experience of traveling and connecting with loved ones that I had.
If I could summarize this summer in one word, it would have be: GATHERINGS. I was fortunate to attend a lot of different gatherings with some wonderful people. I kicked off the summer with one of my favourite organizations (you know who you are), helping them with a cultural recalibration. We revisited their vision, purpose, and values. Cue eye roll here – I think that’s how they all were feeling when we entered the room….But, it truly was a powerful day of gathering around why they all work together, and how they are making a difference in the world.
A gathering quite personal to me was finally being able to host a Celebration of Life for my dad. I had no idea how much mental energy and work this would entail, but I was touched by the number of people from his life that showed up in his happy place – Pigeon Lake, Alberta – to celebrate him and show their love and support for our family. It was a gathering that was pretty pivotal to the grieving process.
Finally, Rik and I celebrated the return of the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open. This is the tennis tournament that holds so many memories for us. It’s where we met, it’s where he retired, and now as a side gig, it’s where he acts as the Tournament Director. It was amazing to see Hollyburn Country Club be transformed into this prestigious venue, hosting players and their teams from all over the world. It’s a truly unique event that you don’t quite understand until you attend. Below is a fun highlight reel of a little cocktail reception Better Your Best hosted.
The pandemic put a pause on our gatherings. Be sure to bring them back. And when you do, make sure you check out Priya Parker’s book “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters.” It was such a timely read as I prepared for each of my summer gatherings!
Join us on September 23rd to discuss the book and its ideas!
A few of her key Rules of Gathering include:
Rule #1. Give Your Gathering a Purpose
Rule #2. Make Purpose Your Bouncer
Rule #3. Design Your Invitation To Persuade
Rule #4. Ditch Etiquette For Rules (And #11: Create A More Playful World)
Rule #5. Close With Intention