What I do believe is that perfection can be incrementally attained with each level of new understanding and skill gained. Therefore perfection is built and constantly repaired, with no expectation that it must never need to be regained. Perfection is built through new understanding and skill, disrupted through ordinary humanity, and repaired or regained through practice. Needing to regain it does not mean that previous growth was false.

My school experience was AMAZING and challenging. Yup go ahead and roll your eyes because what experience isn’t. Well, dude this is my story.

Pucker up, buttercup (which as an old friend once told me are super strong and hardy plants). So ha! Buttercup is side-eying 👀 you too. Here we go.

I have never had a more amazing school experience. No hyperbole. Simply legend-ARY. The curriculum development team built the program with people of all abilities and skill-sets in mind. Assessments were initially done, which was a great place to start, because even before classes officially began people who were hopeful but who doubted their ability had the boost of confidence that doing well the first time brings—when doing well the first time has been the traditional marker of success. The scaffolding was highly effective. There was no need for anyone to worry about not knowing what was needed. Whatever one might need to know was taught, and learners had the opportunity to explore, dig in to the treasure field of existing knowledge and extract the elements that were most valuable to them.

We were guided by Leslie Fahr, a highly competent professional mentor, who skillfully trimmed the anxiety that was highly visible in the room as the old weeds of systemic trauma tangled themselves into the already-bountiful grove of diverse minds, a grove which was well-primed for new growth.

Leslie was one part of a vibrant ecosystem, which is the image that comes to mind when I reflect on the plethora of people and organizations who together created the SCSW-CHWK project: the Sqwá First Nation Education Team— Dianne, Penny, Jade, Elder Aunty Violet; the Discovery Community College team—James, Candice, Lisa, Heather, Benita, Shelley, Isaac, and myriad others across both those organizations; and others such as my WorkBC employment consultant Deepmala, and other employees of broader provincial federal, civic, and social organizations that help nourish and sustain the ecosystem which supports our community’s healthy existence.

The experience was amazing. I am repeating myself. I know. The emphasis is intentional. It was that good.

And there were challenges. Big ones. Life-altering ones. Together, we faced them. In order for that to happen we spoke up repeatedly, persistently. I had to strengthen my lagging communication skills. I had to use all the tools available to amplify the accessibility message that I needed to be heard. It took Herculean effort to consistently practice a better way of showing up through conflict intertwined with excellence for every day of eight consecutive months. Conflict is not usually a part of interpersonal relationships because of bad intentions; conflict is that part of the relational growth curve where asymmetrical and varied lived experiences can become tangled as we move through life together.

I was able to use the opportunity to continue the lifelong practice of regulating my sensitive nervous system. I was able to continue to name the need that none of us recognized would arise prior to entering into the experience, and I was able to continue to hold space for collaborative progress until we were able to sit around the table and figure out what needed to be done.

Practicing mastery of self-regulation and moving through accountability without blame or shame is important because everyone has the right to choose what they will do. We’d like to hope that everyone will always access agency in ways that are mutually profitable to all, and the reality is that in some way or another we all at times become tangled in the weeds of supremacy and refuse to connect to the ecosystem so that we can function optimally together. Self-regulation helps us to honour choice and wait for collaboration and reconnection without doing harm.

That walk across the stage was a walk of triumph for everyone there, and for all of us all across this world wherever or whomever we may be. That walk celebrated our power to show up, celebrated the increasing wellbeing of our ecosystem—as we live free, at home in ourselves nowhere, and everywhere, as Maya Angelou says, and always — right now, experiencing harmony on Earth as it is in heaven.

#NurturingKindred #TheForgivenessFramework #AntiSupremacyIsProHarmony

PS. This was for me the half-graduation though the program is officially completed. The second will be in the fall which I am excitedly looking forward to celebrating 🙌🏿 in a good way.