Time -- or our sense of time -- is indeed relative. This six weeks of Laddership circle seem to have passed so fast; at the same time, so many seeds have been planted and nurtured with such care and love.

Audrey summed up our Week 6 call in an email,

From Grant's reminder of the Pale Blue Dot (and a sweet cartoon version) to Sachi's quote from Vinoba on finding the door to people's hearts, Saejung's reflection of how our realities can be molded by what we focus on, Bonnie giving her Sunday sermons from a space of authenticity and service,Pranidhi wondering "What happens when we're confronted with people who don't receive us with that love," followed by Lacey's question, "How do I continually choose to be good and kind to people?", Arathi's insights of getting to a space of emptiness while at Hollow Lake, Fernando's lessons from Raghubhai, Min's reflection on balancing assertiveness with surrender, and Zilong's thoughts on the power of circle-- it's humbling each time to see how a simple 90-min circle can expand us in so many ways. As Birju mentioned, it's certainly an "end to a beginning"-- and we look forward to seeing where that beginning flows as time goes on.

Here are some nuggets of insights, joy, and gratitude that was shared online and on the call.

Pranidhi wrote about the changes that the 6-week circle brought into her life, “I'm noticing that I view more and more of my interactions as opportunities to be kind, and that this shift is not as effortful or forced as it used to feel. This is a testament to how powerful practice can be. This circle has given us a wonderful opportunity to support each other in practice, and for that, I could not be more grateful. Sustained, supported practice is the only way I've found to create fundamental change… I'm beginning to trust that being my authentic self is enough… I view each interaction I have with another person as an opportunity to give and receive loving kindness.”

Min echoed, “I'm seeing every moment as an opportunity for practice in how I show up, what I say, how I act, and to know that at the heart of courage is love (and not duty :).”

Audrey reflected, “It's definitely a long path, and the more steps I take, the more I realize how much longer it really is :), but I feel that our shared inquiry over the last 6 weeks has given me a deeper conviction to keep walking on it, and a stronger strength of heart to engage, learn, and grow with our ever-evolving collective consciousness.”

Sachi speaks for all of us when she wrote, “My biggest take-away is the realization of how powerful circles are!”

Grant wrote of his growing inner conviction, “I was certainly inspired by the stories and sharing from everyone else in the circle, but most importantly these conversations helped me to tap into my own as-of-yet hazy convictions, and become more comfortable with them and confident that they are values that I want to continue developing and sharing with others.”

Fernando commented on the move from inner to outer transformation, “For me it has been more comfortable to live my inner transformation but I believe that I'm now ready to flourish and put my shoe project to complement the outer transformation.” He is also inspired to see that “each of us is doing something. A lot of good people doing a lot of good stuff, whatever is right for us. Gives me faith in humanity.”

Lacey spoke of agency and self-compassion, “Everyday I get up, and I choose how I show it to the world. And the days that I mess up, I continually try to show myself the same grace and gentleness.” “Allow myself the space to just exist, pause, not react. The more centered and grounded I am, the more able I am to give to others.”

Saejung highlighted the power of small acts as a key takeaway for her. “Make everyone you meet smile. Just being aware of that is so powerful.”

Bonnie inspired us with her reflection on authenticity, “Every Sunday, I give a 20min sermon about something. I've put a lot of pressure on myself, to make it ‘enough.’ Recently, I am learning to just be authentic and serve. Let go of the seeking of approval. When I show up with the attitude to serve, it affects the congregation and we seem to grow together in love, kindness and service together. ”

Arathi shared how she “feel more comfortable living into the questions. If these are the questions I am going to be living with, then I am really lucky.”

Birju said that “content is secondary to context. I feel I am in relationship with everyone. Wish to be in that relationship forever. And I haven't even physically hugged everyone yet! :) ”

On this week’s theme of Culture, Birju asked, “How do you be skillful, moment to moment, in a context where everything is changing? What allows us to push our boundaries?

Pranidhi said, “If everything is changing externally, what's stable is what's within us. We can have that relationship with ourselves skillfully. Then we can face externally. The secret is authentic small acts. They have tremendous impact.” Bonnie said commented on monitor our projection and reactivity. “Choose to surrender to something greater than I am. And, I can keep these values by giving them away.” Grant echoed, “By surrendering to my own insignificance, it empowers me to do more than what I think I can do.”

Saejung spoke eloquently when she said how she has been feeling like a toddler, “A soup that's being stirred, and not quite there yet.” “We were strangers, and now we are soulmate, speaking the language of soul to soul.” Lacey posed the question, “How do we forget so quickly? How do we make people remember? How do I continually choose to be kind and good, and make it into automatic response? Keep extending that reminder over and over.” Min picked up on the balance of skillfulness, “When do you be self-assertive, and when to surrender?”

Fernando zoomed in on 3 themes: surrender, trust, and not be afraid of making mistakes. “If I do what I am supposed to do, then I won’t get frustrated at life. Be patient. Not to expect anything in return. Do it because it feels right. That's satisfaction I have every day.” On the theme of finding our purpose in life, Sachi shared the advice from a woman who “adopted” over 2,000 children, “Don't wait. You have so much, start giving!” That made Sachi realize, “Every project is a project of life. Doesn't matter what work you do; suffering is everywhere.”

Min closed the circle with her fresh observation and amazement at how one kid’s behavior could change the “invisible culture” of the whole playground -- either by hoarding toys, or by sharing. Each of us have the power to decide what we want to be, at every moment.

Co-creating this laddership circle has certainly helped us feel and live into the right choices. As Pranidhi shared, “I knew what to do intellectually, but I didn’t have the support structure. Over the past 6 weeks, I have been amazed how many times I caught myself not reacting, or immediately being reminded of coming at it from a place of love. Someone's voice will be in my ear, giving me timely advice. That support really helped me.”

Indeed. Held tightly in a circle of gratitude, companionship, and love, we are sure that this is only the end of the beginning :)