Tag Archives: community

One Lovely Blog Award

Posted on August 16, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

David nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award.

Thank you to David at Lead. Learn. Live for acknowledging my blog. I enjoy his sense of humour and advice he shares.

This morning, when I got in the car The Sound of Sunshine was playing (Michael Franti is a wonderful singer/songwriter) and I felt energized. Just like a good song, I receive a gift each day from blogs I follow.

Here are seven facts about me.

(1) I’m a terrible swimmer (I stole this from David. Swimming is an alternative to drowning for me).

(2) My favourite breakfast as a hockey player was warm beer and cold pizza.

(3) I am a goalie in hockey which explains some of my quirky behaviour.

(4) I watch Simpson reruns and learn something new each time.

(5) Teaching is my second career.

(6) I was a banker in my first career.

(7) Kathy and I met in Prince George BC, but were born in Alberta. We moved to find each other.

I mentioned I struggle with this rule on an earlier post. I follow amazing blogs and feel I am leaving someone out. I nominate the following for One Lovely Blog Award.

Gary at Gary Runn (spirituality and leadership)
Matilda at Arts of Matilda (crazy artist)
Monikah at The Life of Photos (photographer who lives life fully)
Sean at Sometimes Nothing (a writer rekindling passion for writing)
Justin at Walk and Talk (young student sharing a world of pictures)
Susan at Writing Glimmers (writer, student, parent)
Kolby at Kolby Skidmore/Photography (innovative young photographer)
William at Stadler Style (writer sharing ideas)
Ms. Hyland at Ordinary Days (teacher, student sharing her journey)
Merlin atMerlin Spielen (poetry and photography)

To accept the award, the rules are:

Link back to the person who nominated you
Post the award image to your page. (Here’s the Link)
Tell seven facts about yourself
Nominate 10 other blogs
Let them know they are nominated

17 Comments

Posted in Awards, Blogging, Community and tagged awards, blogging, community, conversational journey, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Metamorphosis

Posted on August 9, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I struggled today. Starbucks’ Internet was intermittent and my day was cleaved in half with an appointment. I reflected on what my blogging and there has been a substantial change in the tone and voice of the blogger. When I began, I was doing it for all the wrong reasons and was driven from ego. Transformation is about my self and not about what goes on outside me.

I influence the world and as Gandhi wisely said, “Be the change you want to see in the world” is important.

Change

Occupies an idle mind.

Denies, oppresses

Another self.

Transform

Inner terrain.

Who is this self?

What life does this self live?

Mature

Through life.

Define

the self who lives this life.

Emerge

from chrysalis each day.

Present

A thoughtful gift

Transform my self.

Reveal through selfless acts

Flourish beyond rhetoric

Beyond fad.

Journey with others

Appreciate

Valorize.

2 Comments

Posted in Blogging, Community, Mindful Life, Photography, Poetry and tagged blogging, community, Mindful Practice, nature, philosophy, photography, spirituality, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Driftwood’s Wisdom

Posted on August 8, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Kathy took this picture while we walked along Waterton Lake’s beach. She thought it would inspire me. I wondered what might emerge. Last night, I scribbled ideas into my journal about wisdom and its sources. I enjoy and enjoyed listening to stories told by my parents, Kathy’s parents, our grandparents about life in past generations, and many others I come in contact with each day.

Flotsam on the shore

Washed up and unusable

Life’s wisdom wasted.

Polished piece of wood

Fine tuned by life’s travails

Reveals the wisdom.

3 Comments

Posted in Blogging, Community, Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry and tagged blogging, community, Mindful Practice, nature, photography, teacher as transformer, waterton lakes national park. Bookmark the permalink.

Life within a Panorama

Posted on August 7, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Kathy took these panoramic pictures the first day we drove to Waterton. I often wonder about making sense of life without a fuller view. It is the stepping back that might allow the ‘hole in the whole’ to fade and show a panoramic view of life. Even at that, the life’s complexity creates mystery of and allows the ‘holes to make sense in the whole.’

Life

Still shot

One image at a time

Parsed and fits my definition.

Life

A broad view

Weaves a web without design

Fuller, richer, yet indefinable.

Reflection

Quilts life whole

Bound together moment by moment

Paradox of ragged and seamless.

Shared

Without losing self

Bound together by our commonness

Adhere disparate parts into one.

9 Comments

Posted in Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry and tagged community, Mindful Practice, nature, photography, teacher as transformer, waterton lakes national park. Bookmark the permalink.

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Posted on August 6, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I received a nomination for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award from Ricardo at Film Photography is not Dead.

I am learning about virtual communities and their formation. It is about learning and not predetermined outcomes.

Virtual communities emphasize reciprocal practices which include a sense of trust that someone views and validates our contributions. We measure practices with followers, likes, and regular comments which resemble conversations. Since July 14, 2012, this blog went from 500 to 1000 likes, gained 75 followers, and has daily, running commentary.

We are involved and remained in virtual communities as a result of an ethic of relationship and this makes returning a conscious choice and mindful. Active participation is receiving and giving gifts thus has emotional and personal components.

An aspect of my gratitude is the face-to-face conversations Kathy and I have. She contributes to all the posts in many ways: takes pictures, edits, and questions purpose in a post. I am grateful to her and others who valorize what I am doing each day.

The rules are:

Link back to the person who nominated you
Post the award image to your page
Tell seven facts about yourself
Nominate 15 other blogs
Let them know they are nominated

1. Thank you Ricardo for nominating me, it’s an honour and privilege. Check out his blog called Film Photography is not Dead for insightful ideas about photography and great pictures.

3. 7 facts about me

I love nature.
I am a collector of many things.
I am a very nervous flyer.
I am completing a PhD in Leadership Studies.
I love brewed ice tea.
I listen to the Old Radio Shows.
My favourite fictional genre is westerns.

4. This section is challenging. I follow many blogs and feel guilty each time I do this, because I know I miss some great blogs.

My nominated blogs:

19 Comments

Posted in Awards, Blogging, Community, Reflective Moments and tagged awards, blogging, community, conversational journey, Mindful Practice, teacher as transformer, writing. Bookmark the permalink.

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

Posted on August 2, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

We went to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 50 km from Pincher Creek and with Waterton’s majestic skyline.

This area is the traditional home of the Niitsítapi (Blackfoot Confederacy) which means ‘original people.’ The Piikáni (North Piegan), a member of the confederacy, traveled to Waterton’s Blakiston Valley and gathered at Akaitapi (good campsite). The area was also used by the Ktunaxa (Kootenay or Kootenai) who came from the west and provided food, water, and shelter.

The Niitsítapi gathered at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and used innovative strategies to hunt the plains bison. Legend has it the name comes from an unfortunate incident when a young man wanted a closer view of the action. He waited at the base of the cliff, but the hunt was extremely successful and, when he was found, he had sustained a broken skull and died.

Archaeologists discovered evidence that this site was on a migratory path for indigenous people at least 5500 years ago. A buffalo jump or ‘pishkun’ in Niitsítapi used drive lanes marked by rock cairns. The buffalo ran in the drive lanes and, as they approached the cliff, the last part of the drive lane sloped up and the jump was not noticeable. The process required perfect human timing and was extremely dangerous.

A small herd of bison live in a paddock at Waterton, but at one time these animals covered the Great Plains of North America. The bison is often called a ‘walking supermarket’ as almost all its body parts were usable and often harvested.

Super store on legs

Symbolic prairie icon

A sideshow item.

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is at the confluence of three geological formations. The Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains are well-known. The picture below is the rise into the Porcupine Hills. In the foreground is a hill where young Niitsítapi men transitioned to manhood through a vision quest. The hill, due to its spiritual significance to the Niitsítapi people, does not have public access.

Young person’s journey

Discover one’s inner self

Quest into adulthood.

We watched traditional dancing and heard traditional drumming and singing at the interpretive centre . The drum is symbolic of Mother Earth’s heartbeat in Niitsítapi tradition.

Drum reverberates

Symbol of Mother Earth’s heart

We are one with Her.

Appreciate Neighbours

Posted on August 1, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

The Internet is slow particularly when uploading images. I may need to wait until tomorrow morning and post early before we head off for the day. In the meantime, I jotted this as we walked to Kootenai Lake.

Neighbours near,

Some visible

Ducks laugh and swim

Distract us, grouse–

Protect family and spouse

Woodpecker’s fly by lunch

Delectable larvae, I’m sure.

Others less evident

A fish plays–

Teases with hide and seek

Loon momentarily there

Beaver away from lake house

A moose–

Tracks and droppings

Insects whir in the stillness

Butterflies flit and feed

And move seed

A phantom breeze brushes floor

A solitary leaf responds,

And waves

Up high

Trees sigh.

What watches me?

I am not sure

Neighbours present,

A community–

Puzzles pieced together

Each a part

Seamless, yet not form fitting.

We are part of communities and this past few months I feel more of that; at Gonzaga, with my blog, and on nature walks with Kathy. I appreciate being one small part of communities made up of many parts.

4 Comments

Posted in Blogging, Community, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged appreciation, blogging, community, Mindful Practice, nature, nature walks, neighbours, poetry, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Heading Home – Haiku Haven

Posted on July 28, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Kathy and I head home after a great month in Spokane and at Gonzaga. I enjoy my time here and find the “pause that refreshes.” Part of this is paying forward which happens and the flow of time within this relational space. I see paying forward as a circle. Yesterday, we said good-bye to a colleague on his way home. He reminded me I lent him one of my papers his first summer here and how much that meant to him at a time he was ready to pack it in. I told him my first experience here was similar and someone reached out to me. I find the same thing in virtual community. It is harder to carry on conversations and build relationships, but I find a qualities that are unmistakeably human: care, reciprocity, and trust. I am grateful for the daily support I receive in each form of relationship.

Hearts open in time

The reward is worth the wait

We listen deeply.

A place of comfort

The circle invites us in

Its safe reach shelters.

Community calls

Alchemy not formula

Companionship grows.

I found this quote at Circle Toward Wholeness and it speaks to the circular nature of life and how gifts are constantly received and returned. The quote can also be found at Unitarian Universalist and Circle Fellowship in a more linear form.

3 Comments

Posted in Community, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged Black Elk, blogging, community, haiku, Mindful Practice, Parker Palmer, poetry. Bookmark the permalink.

Shoulders by Naomi Shihab Nye and Out of Great Need by Hafiz

Posted on July 27, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I finished reading Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker Palmer. It is a wonderful book and, even though he wrote it from an American perspective, it has many universal messages. These poems focus on a message we are in life together-we share, reciprocate, appreciate.

I am reaching the point of settling into the dissertation process. My theme is technology, its implications in learning, mindful practices, and the role of leadership in the use of technology. Today, the responses I received from yesterday’s post, Inspiring Blog Award, was evidence that various social media offer opportunities to build digital community. Gonzaga has a journal club for its doctoral students. We find research articles, read them and summarize key points, and present our understanding as they relate to leadership. I presented one about Virtual Communities of Practice today. A key point is reciprocity or the giving and receiving of gifts. This is not a material gift, but one demonstrated through appreciation for the other when they post or say something online. I was able to share I saw the reciprocity and appreciation fully today. You are part of an emerging phenomenological study.

These poems are for you.

2 Comments

Posted in Community, Education, Leadership, Learning Organizations, Poetry, Uncategorized and tagged community, Hafiz, leadership, Mindful Practice, Naomi Shihab Nye, Parker Palmer, poetry, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Inspiring Blog Award

Posted on July 26, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Before I post, I wanted to acknowledge inspiration is reciprocal. Each day, with anticipation, I check my email and follow blogs I subscribe to.

I have gained a considerable amount from blogging, but is humbling. When I began, I had few visitors, no likes, and no comments. Gradually, this changed and blogging became rewarding in and of itself as I learned its nuanced context. It is still humbling in two ways. First, when I check creative blogs posted about passions people hold dear, it impresses me with the process and product. Second, I keep it real . Statistically, the blog I follow with the largest following has about 15, 000 followers. This is about 0.000002% of the world’s population and my 300 followers is about 0.00000004%. Against the odds we form a small, appreciative community and share parts of our lives. Thank you.

Thank you Kay Lynté at Thinking is Write for nominating me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. I am glad to know my blog inspires others, including Kay. I appreciate the gifts others share and in various ways they inspire me in my journey 🙂

1. Link back to the person who nominated you: Thank you, Kay

2. Post the award image to your page: