Notes from SoCo’s 11/17/2022 meeting – Regrouping with Gratitude
As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, many of our organizations have experienced “The Great Resignation” effect, while those of us who are still hanging in there are being run ragged! That’s why for our most recent SoCo meeting we brought in speaker Michael Stein Ross to talk about his Burien-based Cascadia Forest Therapy business, which includes leading people through the practice of forest bathing, and moving beyond mere mindfulness to “embodied experience” – which is opening up all of our senses to the psychological and physical benefits of nature.
One exercise Michael shared with us is the “gratitude walk” – where you find a path in a natural area, and for every step you take, you think of one thing you are grateful for. Michael says that at first it’s easy to reel off the people and things and experiences you’re grateful for. But the trick is not to repeat yourself. So as you go along, and it takes you longer to come up with something you haven’t mentioned yet, you necessarily have to slow down your walking pace and interact more intentionally with the environment you’re walking through.
Michael’s company also is able to certify paths as designated Forest Therapy trails.
Also at the meeting, 4Culture rep Jackie Mixon reported that 4Culture is hiring a new arts coordinator and has an open call to King County artists to apply for consideration to have a show in the 4Culture Gallery space next year. We have both of those posted on SoCo’s Opportunities page – or you can also find them on 4Culture’s website.