Personal Legend: Life Lessons from Dancing.
The link begins with a quote from Paulo Coehlo about finding meaning in life. It becomes our personal legend when we find those things that add to our lives. We are remembered for dancing, teaching, singing, etc; whatever brings us and others joy.
The linked article ends with a poem from Joseph Campbell. He began the poem with “follow your bliss.” When we do, we find our voice and speak through our lives.
Parker Palmer and Thomas Merton pointed out voice and vocation are linked in etymology. They come from a place deep within us. We don’t even have to chase it. We only have to sit, be still, be quiet and our voice finds us. When it finds us, we dance as our voice accompanies us finding what brings meaning and joy in our lives and the lives of those we dance with.
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About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope and its anticipatory relationship with the future, and hope as an essential element in learning.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
“…When [our voice] finds us, we dance as our voice accompanies us finding what brings meaning and joy in our lives and the lives of those we dance with.”–how lovely, Ivon! Thank you for your continuing inspiration. I am deeply grateful for your support. Shine on, my friend.
You are welcome and thank you for the time spent over here. It is greatly appreciated.
Very true words.
Thank you.
The “nobody’s gonna pay me to do this” excuse is what my wife calls “holding your gifts for ransom!”
That is a great way of understanding it.
Beautiful and yet we chase . . . all about existing in the present moment. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
You are welcome.
These reads like a poem and is always a good reminder.
Thank you.
I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read on your blog here so far. I love the idea that, “We only have to sit, be still, be quiet and our voice finds us.” I just finished reading Parker Palmer’s “Let Your Life Speak” and it is such an inspiration. There is great peace in listening and pursuing this inner voice, but it is also an upstream struggle at times. I reflected a bit on this in my own post this week here: http://quietpilgrim.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/vocation-10000-hours-and-being-uncomfortable/
Thank you for stopping, following, and commenting. Parker Palmer’s thinking has influenced me deeply leading to the writing of Thomas Merton, Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver and many others.
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
I USED TO FIND GREAT THERAPY IN FOLK DANCING! NOW MY LEGS CAN;T MOVE LIKE THATANYMORE! 😀
My legs never moved that way, but I love the music that goes with it.
Yup—am there, doing that. A strange questiion: May I snag your picture for my famos blogger friends; file, for my blog’s header image rotation?
You can. That sounds like an interesting idea of community.
Thank you! Now….where are you pictured?
Jonathan, go to http://en.gravatar.com/ivonprefontaine, it is there. You will have to save it and decide how to use it.
Thank you…also found a couple images—one being this one—on GOOGLE IMAGES!