Going Under
This month's update will be a brief one—honestly, because I don't have a lot to say. As I prepare for abdominal surgery next Friday, I've been noticing a tendency to let go more and more of the kinds of conceptual fixations that are best articulated by words like these. I feel a tender confidence in my ability to be held as I prepare to let a capable general surgeon cut open my gut and stick in robot tubes to remove the cyst that has been growing in there for who knows how long.
These circumstances have also offered a somewhat bizarre opportunity to intentionally put my life on hold for a few weeks; the exercise has been a fruitful one, as it has required me to discern what needs to happen in order for things I value to continue in my absence. I'm actually looking forward to coming back on the other side of this episode with a fresh perspective on whatever is waiting for me there.
But before that, I've got one more thing on the docket that you're welcome to join! Tomorrow at 1:30 pm EDT, I'll be giving a presentation at the Annual Global Sociocracy Conference entitled, "Celebrating a Sociocratic Failure." In it, I'll be telling the story of my work to implement consent-based governance in my previous job, why that effort failed, and how to celebrate all that I've learned about consent, culture, and co-creation along the way—a jazz funeral for my brief career as a Professional Buddhist, if you will. It feels like a fitting way to mark this ending as I prepare for new beginnings after the surgery.
(If the cost of a ticket is prohibitive, by the way, let me know and I would be happy to offer you one of my comps.)
One thing that is certain is that the music will be one of those things awaiting my next steps when I'm back in the saddle. Stay tuned—and if you have any leads on small festival or gig opportunities in either New York City or Western Massachusetts during the month of August, please drop me a line!
Now let's try something a little different for this month's closing track—music from yours truly. Here's a rough cut of the title track that we recorded in Chile in January, also featured in the latest Ampled update:
