For many years, I have shared an annual report of caring for community and world, and for friends, family, and self. I do this as mindful accounting to people and planet for the gift of life and work and to share insights and information with others. Here is my report for 2022, including links to four Zoom presentations, three podcasts of interviews, videos, three articles on websites, social media, books, and more. In addition to caring for nature and society where we live in the Swannanoa watershed, I reached out to North Carolina, the USA, South Korea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ukraine, and many other places. I am so very grateful for beloved family and friends, and my mindfulness practice.
Care for community and world
- as Compassionate Civilization Collaborative & Press [C3P] -
· Participated with my neighbors for ten months in weekly, two-hour meetings of discussion, presentations, and planning, and ongoing actions of the Swannanoa Watershed Action Network (SWAN). This is a local pilot in western North Carolina of the global Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL), a movement of social justice and ecological regeneration, inspired by Kate Raworth. Our SWAN slogan is "When All Thrive, Earth Regenerates. (WATER.)" Local colleague Diana McCall and I occasionally used Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) Technology of Participation (ToP) facilitation methods to help the network discuss and create plans. Helped created SWAN flyers, stories, and news articles, spoke about SWAN on BizRadio, podcasts, and in a BDG online conference, and represented SWAN in three DEAL online global meetings. (SWAN Facebook page is here.) [The above map of the Swannanoa watershed was created by Warren Wilson College students. The circular image above is the Doughnut Economics model.]
· A story of SWAN was published on the global DEAL website (Click here.)
· A news article on SWAN was published in the Black Mountain News (NC) [Karrigan Monk] (Click here.)
· Made a Zoom presentation on "Earth Words and Watershed Activism" in a BDG climate change conference at the invitation of Dr. Justin Whitaker of BDG (Montana) [URL here.]
· An article of the above presentation was published on the BDG website (URL here.)
· Held a Zoom meeting on local climate change actions in Colorado (ICA colleague Sunny Walker), California (ICA colleague Linda Hamilton), and North Carolina (Swannanoa Watershed Action Network [SWAN]) (URL here.)
· Here is a podcast of my interview on "Doughnut Economics and SWAN" on Joel Skene’s show “The Mindful Marketplace” on BizRadio (URL here.)
· Two podcasts were made of interviews on "Decentralized Community Building" on the “Nathan Phillips’ Show” on BizRadio (URL 1 here.) (URL 2 here.)
Donated to Beloved Asheville to care for the homeless, to Bounty and Soul to feed the hungry in the watershed, to Belly Full Plant Nursery for a new greenhouse, and to the Human Community Network in Oklahoma.
Made a Zoom presentation on “War and Peace” for the Virginia Tech class of Dr. Ameena Zia (Blue Ridge Consulting, Hendersonville, NC) [URL here.]
· Made a Zoom presentation on “Creating a Compassionate Nepal and World” based on the Nepali language edition of A Compassionate Civilization, at the opening of ICA Nepal’s innovative leadership training course at the invitation of Jan Sanders (PeoplEnergy, Canada), Dr. Tatwa Timsina (Tribhuvan University, Nepal) and Ishu Subba (ICA Nepal) [URL here.]
Marketed my five books on social media and beyond (URL is here.)
· An audiobook of A Compassionate Civilization was created as a gift to the dharma by Caeri Bertrand and Marlin Nissen (California)
· A Korean language edition of Society, Spirit, Self: Essays of the One Dance was prepared by Dr. Yoo Hee Jae (ORP) and her team in Seoul
· Articles of (1) my keynote on the "Critical Role of Participatory Facilitation" for the Korean Facilitators' Conference and (2) "Integral Leadership in a Time of Pandemic" were published in the online “Integral Leadership Review” (URL 1 here.) (URL 2 here.)
· Wrote chapter on “Compassionate Policies to Relieve Systemic Suffering” for a forthcoming book on applied spirituality in public policy of sustainable development by Jindal Global University (India), led by former UNDP colleague Dr. Naresh Singh (Canada, India)
· A news article was published in the Durant Democrat (OK) newspaper on the donation of my five books to the Durant High School Library.
Got out the vote (GOTV) for candidates supporting social justice and ecological regeneration in the November US elections, and supported the Senate runoff in Georgia.
· Posts were made almost daily on several Facebook pages (personal, “A Compassionate Civilization”, “Movement of Movements”, “Teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh”, and “Teilhard de Chardin”), and on LinkedIn
· Met with social artistry/mystery school colleague Mary Alice Arre, who recently moved to Asheville. We discussed recording my poems in Earthling Love and interviews concerning A Compassionate Civilization, for broadcast on Heart2Heart radio
· Discussed next steps with Svitlana Salamatova (Geopolitical Alliance of Women) regarding publishing a Ukrainian language edition of A Compassionate Civilization
· Helped Shing Rang Marma in Bangladesh, who read A Compassionate Civilization with the assistance of Ilaann Suzan White, contact ICA Bangladesh, and apply for a UN small grant for his local group’s SDG work.
Care for friends, family, and self
Care for friends
Spoke by phone with former UNDP colleague Dr. Shabbir Cheema who has published an inspiring memoir. Gave my five books to Kevin Guyan, a fellow activist in Canada. Spoke by phone with ICA colleague Bill Parker about his work with the Human Community Network in Oklahoma. Was in touch with former UNDP colleague Dr. Cosmas Gitta during his successful bout with cancer. Former ICA colleague Rebecca Mahan visited us here at Chickadee Cottage. Enjoyed phone conversations with former UNDP colleague Dr. Nikhil Chandavarkar about his books of historical fiction. ICA colleague Elsa Batica gave signed copies of A Compassionate Civilization to two, incoming Hubert Humphrey fellows in Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Recommended to ICA colleague Bruce Williams that he write a book on his style of authentic facilitation, which he is doing. Had lunch in Black Mountain with former UNDP governance consultant Paul Lundberg. Bonnie and I had lunch with Drs. Larry Ward and Peggy Rowe (The Lotus Institute, Mexico), and ICA colleagues Jan Sanders and Blasé Sands (Canada/Asheville). Gave a copy of my poetry book Earthling Love to two friends whose husbands had recently died. Enjoyed interacting on Facebook with ICA friend Rev. Dr. Park Si Won, in Seoul, and enjoyed speaking by phone with ICA friend Rev. Dr. Kang Byoung Hoon, also in Seoul. My fellow participants in SWAN became my good friends.
Care for family
Bonnie and I welcomed the New Year with son Christopher and grandkids, Phoenix and Mariela, at Lake Susan in Montreat, NC. Throughout the year, we enjoyed being with Jennifer, Christopher, Phoenix, Mariela, and Kathy at their place and at ours. Celebrated son Benjamin’s 50th birthday and enjoyed his visits to Asheville from NY. Celebrated Phoenix' 14th birthday and Mariela's 12th. Celebrated birthdays of Bonnie, Jennifer, Kathy, Lisa, and Christopher. Enjoyed grandson Phoenix’ online piano recital. Christopher and I drove to Columbus, Ohio, to be with my younger brother and only sibling, Duncan, who was declining rapidly due to Parkinson’s disease, and with his wife Lisa. We celebrated Duncan’s final birthday at 74 years old. I had my last conversation by Zoom with Duncan before he died on 16 August. Held an intimate family memorial for Duncan. Am missing him. Bonnie also lost her brother David this year, and is missing him so much. Bonnie developed afib and received treatments. Bonnie and I happily celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. First, Bonnie got COVID 19, and then I did. We both took antivirals, rested, and survived. Bonnie and I enjoyed visiting Lake Lure, Flat Rock, the Swannanoa Winterfest, and other beautiful spots.
Care for self
After my root teacher Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) died at 95 on 22 January, I participated in several days of deeply meaningful memorials on Zoom, in Plum Village, France, and in Hue, Vietnam. Began participating in online meetings of Mountain Mindfulness Sangha in Asheville, NC (in Thay’s tradition.) Enjoyed listening to Dr. Larry Ward’s dharma talks online (The Lotus Institute, in Thay's tradition). Enjoyed daily sitting and walking meditation and mantras, and daily journal writing. Received two thousand reactions to a post on the “Teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh” Facebook page. Celebrated the first yellow of daffodils on 19 Feb. Had final colonoscopy with good results. Had electro-cardioversion, and then changed to more effective afib med with oversight in local hospital. Celebrated my 78th birthday. Got a flu shot. Enjoyed a photo on my Facebook page of five Durant High School (OK) students each holding one of my books donated to their library. Had several auspicious sightings of a white squirrel in our mountain-forest neighborhood, and enjoyed daily walks with Abby the Collie, and loving Chickabee the cat. My computer hard drive crashed, but tech-genius-son Christopher recovered all files. It was a year of living in mindfulness, happiness, grief, and gratitude, while helping relieve suffering near and far.
Onward into 2023 in mystery, love, and gratitude!