Sylvia's Journal

The piercing headache from yesterday was accompanied by severe nausea. Nothing is worse than having to throw up when you are in a dorm that does not have its own bathroom; a bathroom that says it is only for men and you are not one of those. Suffice to say I ended up sleeping an Excedrin-induced sleep till lunch and thus missed the star speakers (Tichy/Schlesinger) and workshops I had so carefully selected.

I attended an afternoon workshop with my OD counterpart from Pathfinder, a sister organization from Boston. Together with 40 other people we were led in 45 minutes through 8 experiential excercises. Good thing the last one was a relaxation exercise that took us down a stair, to our childhood beds, out of the windown, through the clouds, to the moon and back, all very relaxed, in a darkened room. It was an hour well-spent.

I walked out of two other sessions and learned later that my walking out had contributed greatly to some people’s learning; my motives the object of intense speculation. My own learning was more about connection, as it usually is, in spontaneous mini workshops, self-organized and led, outside the formal program, at a picnic bench in the sun.

A Boston harbor cruise took us out past the islands, with planes departing and arriving overhead, sailboats everywhere and a land- and seascape I am used seeing from the air as I fly in and out of Boston. The return into Boston harbor towards the well-lit skyline was spectacular; it also showed where we can save some energy.

I am the unofficial poet laureate of OBTC and so I am constantly collecting images to later turn into verse. This happens usually around midnight. Tonight is our talent show and I will be called on stage for a product that is not finished yet and constantly being re-written. This always creates a slight panic which does seem to enhance the creative process, albeit at some cost.

Today is also my session which I will be presenting with Sita scribing in the back. It was a last minute idea from Axel and Sita agreed. She may well be the draw for my session. I realized I did not make any handouts and feel somewhat underprepared.