BEING
Author: Grace Andrews
Team Ember at Tops’l Farm in Waldoboro, ME
a·lign /əˈlīn/verb
1. to place or arrange (things) in a straight line:
2. give support to (a person, organization, or cause)
So, this is Webster’s definition of what it means to align, and in many ways, this is exactly what we aim to do when we shut down our entire organization and get off the grid for a few days. We do look to arrange and support but it is so much more than that. Many organizations have off sites and retreats, but at Ember we have advances and alignments. We spend all year putting on amazing, unique, inspiring events for our clients – this is a time to put one on for ourselves. Always at unique locations, always living, cooking and meeting all together. Always striving to create meaning for all of our emberites. Yes, we want to recharge, yes, we revisit our purpose and yes, we focus on what the next year will bring, but again it is so much more.
Custom wooden invitations
This year we focused our Align on Being. Both how we are being in the world with our clients, with our families, with each other but also, be-in-g: being in this gathering. Being totally present and open for learning, adventure, engagement and thoughtfulness. We could not have picked a better venue for our gathering when we selected Tops’l Farm in Maine. If you haven’t heard of it I strongly suggest you take a peek, and be ready to be amazed. Nestled in the Maine woods it has multiple venues to sleep, meet, eat and play. Limited internet, grazing sheep and goats, and views that will blow your mind everywhere you look.
We focused on authentic conversations, deep listening, and how we can be in service better to all we interact with. We celebrate, congratulate, recognize and cheer each other on. We share stories both professional and personal. We eat, we drink, we laugh and occasionally shed some tears. We leave exhausted and exhilarated. We leave Aligned.
So why am I sharing this with you? Because when magic happens you should put it out into the world. When you do, others think about it, hopefully learn from it, mimic it and think about how to create their own magic. It helps move us all forward, and that is why it is an advance, not a retreat.
Always forward, never back. Think about it.
