Seeing Harrison walking in a circle of thoughtful, systems-thinking folks as everyone was kissed by the light of the sunset beaming through the Golden Gate Bridge
Seeing little clusters of folks sharing food and conversation on the sunny lawn surrounded by a eucalyptus grove
Walking into the Quiet Room to see silent thoughtful art in progress
Coming out into the sun to (literally) fall into a group of colleagues exploring movement and relationship
Feeling 'groovy' with everyone dressed up as 'hippies' for the evening dinner and party. Sampling from our International Suitcase Cuisine (items people brought along in their luggage to share for the evening social - everything from pistachio candy to caviar in a tube) - with peacock feathers and peace symbols adorning the tables
Listening for that sound of a rippling river -the sound of 100+ people engaged in conversations that matter
Colleagues from 15 countries singing folk songs together at the end of an evening in a lovely room overlooking the sailboats in the marina
A great little international morning walk group from the hostel to the event site - sharing thoughts of open space, holding space, and opening space in self and in the world
Áine Corrigan Frost energizing shoppers to browse and buy tantalizing items in the Silent Auction, her voice ringing like a clear bell across the meeting hall
Finn's bear falling...up....
'Be the Change' shoes, Taiwanese Aboriginal fabric, lovely painting of a pagoda, folk art from the Philippines and Russia, a sash from East Timor, prayer garland from Tibet, little tiny two-feet pins from Korea, chocolates from the UK, jewelry from Sweden and the US, shirts saying 'Embrace Your Grace' and 'Imagine' (on the front) / 'Opportunity' (on the back), cd's of music by our colleagues and books written by them as well, Aboriginal art shirt from Australia by way of Hong Kong, massage table, even a lovely box of condoms ;o) - all generously offered and bought at the Global Village and Silent Auction tables raising funds for the Access Queen Project
Host Team doing amazing work behind the scenes to help our welcome travelers with visa letters, home stays, room reservations, rides, special food for special needs, , welcoming buddies and more
Russian translators moving through the circles, graciously offered and thanks to Raffi for working so hard on outreaching to help us include this access
Noticing that the compostable utensils did not change shape when used with the food ;o)
Drinking in the beauty of a Closing Circle with flowers, peacock feathers, Tibetan bells and talking stick surrounded by a circle of richly diverse, happily talked out and peacefully listening old and new friends
Savoring the nutritious silence as 100+ people passed the talking stick - in complete silence - around the Closing Circle - and using that moment to appreciate each person as they held it - appreciative of how marvelous each individual was and thinking how glad that they were able to join us
Fortune cookies and descriptions of the beauty and community of Taiwan for the 2009 invitation - and a whole little table set up with folk craft and photos, fabric and images of Taiwan, plus a silk banner with the lively logo for WOSonOS Taiwan 2009
A walking international human billboard of the joys and culture of Berlin for the 2010 invitation
The San Francisco Host Team passing the WOSonOS talking stick to the Taiwanese Host Team - with some lovely wishes from us to them - shared in Chinese (thanks to our lovely Host Team member Erica)
Ahhhh. Like a good rich meal.
As I slip back into post-event work and client work, I just want to say thank you to you all for your warm support - both in person and virtually - for our work and for the World Open Space on Open Space in San Francisco.
Stay tuned for that Book of Proceedings....
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