Café dialogue at Vendome this coming Wednesday June 19

“But certainly some of the time, when things are hard but not overwhelming, I can remember to say ‘Hello’ to the pain, to greet it as a familiar traveling companion – an expression of a lighthearted friendliness that no longer sees the pain as the enemy.” - Ezra Bayda, Aging for Beginners

We'll meet at Vendome at 6 PM this coming Wednesday June 19. Please note my new email address awcimp@gmail.com

Last Wednesday with ten participants including newcomer Moses Kulang, we improvised. That day (June 12) would have been the 90th birthday of Anne Frank, whose diary has been published in more than 60 languages and has sold maybe 30 million copies.

Some of the recent good news shared was from 2017 when a Republican and a Democrat, both elected members of Congress from Texas, made a road trip in a rented car together to Washington, DC, to be there in time for an important vote. On the road trip they learned they could work together much better than they had thought, and they encouraged other members of Congress to arrange their own bipartisan road trips.

Other good news (from June 2019) included the report that all United Airlines flights from Los Angeles are now powered by biofuel made from agricultural waste products; the launch of a positive lifestyle website insidewink.com; and news of a couple who over 20 years had gradually transformed a barren piece of land into a rainforest.

We talked about single-use plastics and the prospect of getting rid of them in Canada after 2021. The Dandelion Cafe in Calgary was mentioned. Two of the participants plan to attend the "Freeze or Burn" event, an Alberta offshoot of "Burning Man," where everyone is expected to contribute in some way, not just be in the audience. We heard about a law that allows composting of human remains ("green reaper"). The empathic listening circle structure we had used at Vendome a couple of weeks previously received very positive reviews from those who had participated. We considered what we might do next Wednesday. "Rat school" (each person presents a topic) as well as the empathic listening format were both considered as possibilities. It should be a good one.

Looking forward,

Arthur