Today marks the beginning of meaningful conversations; E=mc2 begins in an intimate apparel store of all places. After sharing the experience of purchasing something that fits, and noticing an otherwise empty store, I began my quest. With her expertise in the area of bra fittings, the young woman I interviewed already exhibited the willingness to engage in an exchange on a more intimate level. I fumbled my way through the first couple of questions all the while enjoying the look of curiosity on the face of this young woman.

Question 1:  What are you most proud of?

“Um. Probably my relationship with my family – we’ve come a long way.”

Question 2:  I wish I had…

“Gotten into school earlier so I wouldn’t have to be working all the time now. I’m going into school in September for nursing. I wish I had gotten into school earlier, but still worth it.”

Question 3:  What makes you happy?

“Lots of things. Being around people that are happy. Doing things I like doing. Lots of different things, I can’t pinpoint one thing in particular.”

Question 4:  What makes you sad?

“Of course, ummm lots of things make me sad. Again I can’t pinpoint one thing in particular. I’m reallly bad with coming up with something on the spot. Hmmmm. Sad movies, I don’t know. I’ll have to pass on that one.”

Question 5:  What do you fear?

“Heights. I am terrified of heights. The fear of falling has always been a fear of mine. I’ve challenged myself a little bit with going on rides…”

Question 6:  What inspires you?

“My mom. She is a nurse too. She has inspired me to do something.. I want to be a nurse, not because she’s one but I want to do it. She’s been through a lot, she’s definitely an inspiration for me. Yes, my Mom.”

Question 7:  Who is your hero?

“My mom – she’s an inspiring hero.”

Question 8:  What do you long for?

“I guess a more stable life, where I have a good job, where I’m done school. You know a time in my life where I’m more settled.”  I notice a deep breath, a pause and a long sigh.

Question 9:  My best advice is…

“Um, listen to what you’re told to do like when people tell you to stay in school, do your homework, get things done when you should because then you end up taking a couple extra years longer and it’s kind of like something you regret doing, you know. That’s my advice for younger people and older too, you know, to finish things that they’ve wished they could have finished earlier in their life.”

Question 10:  What question should I ask you now?

“I don’t know. those are all pretty good questions, that make you think. I can’t think of anything, I’m so bad at this…”

So I ask, what do you love about your job?

“I like the people that I meet and I like the girls that I work with. I’ve met a lot of good people here, a lot of new friends and it’s a good place to be right now while I’m waiting to go to school. Definitely a good environment for me and I’m here all the time, everyday, saving up money to go to school.”

“Thank you” she said “You made me think” and I encouraged her to continue the conversation with her friends and loved ones. She said she would.

As I’m writing this post, I’m struck with remembering the younger version of myself reflected in this young woman. She’s choosing a path with hopes of becoming more settled in her life, with a good job and space to breathe. I remember how that’s what I wanted too and found it satisfying for a while. Then that space had a way of opening up me up to something more. Life is an evolution. We grow and evolve. We rest for a while and take it all in. Then we notice that niggle that says there’s more. Sometimes we listen, sometimes we don’t.

I’m excited to share details about a project that I’m undertaking this coming year, beginning this week. It’s called E=mc2 which stands for “Engaging Women in Meaningful Conversations Makes Community”. I’ve created a logo that captures the essence of the project. Every week I’ll be engaging a woman unknown to me (a stranger) in a meaningful conversation with 10 questions. I’ll post about the conversation in my blog every week. It’s part of my commitment to inspire more meaningful communication among women. Hopefully the questions I ask will have people intrigued and wanting to carry on the conversation with friends and loved ones. My posts will paint a varied picture of women’s insights into themselves and what’s important to them.

This project was inspired by a man named Jayson Krause, who has recently completed a year’s worth of conversations with 52 strangers. He has since begun a Crusade for Meaningful Connection, inviting the conversations to continue. I’ve tweaked his approach a bit, changing the questions and focussing only on women.

I am excited and curious as I begin this quest. I don’t easily engage in conversation with strangers on this level. It’s uncharted territory. And it’s important. It’s important to me because I’ve discovered through my work and in my life that so many women have a deep desire to engage in meaningful conversations, to foster that feeling of intimacy that we all crave on some level and to be known and witnessed. I’ve been exploring a lot lately about the dis-connect that is so pervasive in our society today – we are too busy, spread too thin and moving too quickly to engage. We are afraid of having our true selves be known and yet it’s what many of us deeply desire.

E=mc2 is an attempt to bridge that gap. It’s a beginning place. It’s an opportunity to begin a conversation that I hope will continue. I’m excited to see where this will lead and invite you along on the journey week by week. Buckle up as I prepare to leap!

"Bee" in The Moment

Welcome Spring!

I took this photo in my garden last week.  We’re having an early start to spring here in the Toronto area and it’s such a treat!  If you look closely at the photo you’ll see a bee with its head tucked inside a flower, totally obvlivious to the fact that it was on camera.  I’d say it was fully engaged in its relationship with the flower: gathering the nectar it needs to thrive and giving the flower what it needs to reproduce by carrying pollen to another flower.  Nature is all about relationship.  The beauty that we get to enjoy is often the result of partnerships in nature, undertaken for survival and propagation perhaps but what is created is often breathtaking.  We can learn many lessons about relationship when we look to nature. I wonder what can be created when we as humans create partnerships in service of what’s possible.  Hmmm… What do you think?