We're taking a little detour in this week's podcast. I've just published the Introduction to Belonging episode over on the Haven, and didn't want to overwhelm the world with loads more talking here.

So we're taking a trip to Serenity Island, which was actually inspired by that conversation on Belonging with Lindsay-Celeste and Kendra Patterson. I have been thinking about one idea in particular, which came up in our discussion...

Soft Edges
We talked about the role of boundaries and defined edges in creating safety and belonging in communities.

I hadn't considered before how much The Return to Serenity Island is all about nurturing these soft edges that give our life definition which provide the conditions for "inside-out" growth.
Edges help us know what to let in and what to keep out.
Our world is so full of noise and attention-seeking information. These things can creep up like a fog without us noticing.

It might take some kind of sudden wake-up call to force us to see how far we've drifted.

This could be a collective event like a pandemic. Or it could come from an experience in our personal life, like a relationship breakdown, job loss, health crisis, or the death of a loved one.

This jolt, whatever its cause can be really frightening. It can cause a feeling of alarming uncertainty and instability.

So how do we pick up the pieces when confronted with such a moment?

The Return to Serenity Island helps us avoid the temptation to seek a 'return to normality'. Choosing instead to think about the aspects of life we truly want to grow from the inside out.

I want to take you on a short tour around the island where we will briefly explore these core areas of potential change.
We are going to visit:

The Lodge (your bubble of safety, comfort, and rest)
The Owl Park Campsite (home of your most important relationships)
The Lake of Tranquility (slow down, relax, and take care of your emotional well-being)
The Curiosity Caves (nurture and expand your intellectual well-being)
The Movement Falls (take care of the various aspects of your physical well-being)
The Mystery Mountains (step outside of the doing-ness and into the being-ness of life)
The Overlook Treehouses (nurture your relationship with younger generations in your life and the world at large)
The Forest of Plenty (get a sense of your what wealth means for you and your life)
The Peninsula of Purpose (build your body of work and become mindful of your approach to building life on sustainable foundations)
Two Ships Bridge (nurture, explore, and discover possibilities for your intimate relationships)
Play Trail Maze (get lost along corridors and magical tunnels of creativity and play)

If you'd like to explore more of Serenity Island with me then you can learn more about the full course at serenityisland.me