Riding a rainbow caterpillar...

Today I had one of those moments where I stood back mentally to look around the room and I was struck by how people were engaged and palpably enjoying themselves in an environment that I had helped create for them. Creativity and conversation and collaboration were all in the air. Not loud but visible and tangible. It flowed with ease around me. And I was at ease. I felt alive and actively tuned in but calm and contained all at the same time.

It was only a moment and then, I was back in my head - attentive, listening and gathering my thoughts; thinking about what we were going to do next; considering how I would frame that to maintain the energy and also move us on; calculating the time we still had to work together; planning to take action... but for that moment, I was still. And it felt good. Like Tango, when it works. That rare (for me) instant when it all comes together in what I describe to myself as "glide". Grounded but light and floating all at the same time. Ease.

Bizarrely, as I was reflecting on this on the train home, I felt tears surface. I'm not entirely sure what that was about. Maybe relief that it's still possible to find that space. Maybe a sense of how rare it is and how I much I missed it when it wasn't part of my working life for so long. Perhaps just reliving the pleasure of it. Maybe overwhelmed with how lucky and thankful I am that I get to do work I love. Possibly exhaustion heightening all the emotions disproportionately. Probably a combination of these.

Either way, when I was reviewing the event photographs this evening, I found this one on my phone of somebody's tabletop creation and it summed it up for me... riding a giant rainbow caterpillar with a big smile on my face. Easily. That's kinda how it felt. Weird, I know. But true.

And now it's the weekend! That makes me happy too.