Improv AtWork and AtLife

A Man Named Corky and Other Things I Found While Surfing the Net

Sometimes I surf the net, just to see what turns up. I love that phrase, "surf the net" - I wish that term burned as many calories as it implies. I came across a site on community drum circles hosted by a guy named Corky - from his picture, he looks to be in his mid-fifties and I had to wonder, what kind of man of a certain age invites others to refer to him as "Corky"? I don't know - but I think I might like him.

I landed on another site, its sole purpose being to provide an avenue by which its writer could rant against drum circles. Seems like an odd thing to rant about to me...but maybe it's a backlash against some of the stuff I've seen written about drumming like "it gets us back to the time before technology separated us from our soul" or about "how it enhances the activity of cellular immune components" (both of which I think are true by the way but read a little pretentious when you see them in black and white). The bottom line is, this guy thinks group drumming is a waste of time. Point taken. But why spend so much time and energy and wit (yes, he has wit...an all too often rarity) dissing it? Behaviorists say that when we have an unreasonable negative reaction to something or someone, it may be because the something or the someone reminds us of an aspect of ourselves that we dislike or find distasteful. It's a way to put the distasteful part of us at a distance and attack it. As Shakespeare wrote, "Me thinks thou doth protest too much." I try to remember that and check my own strong reactions...do I need to look inward...or do I think somebody's a jerk simply because they are?

I Need A Coach

I just checked into my blog and am ashamed that I haven't written anything for a month. I promised myself after my last two entries that I'd sit down on a regular basis and put forth my thoughts. It's not like I don't have opinions or that I'm shy about sharing them. My problem is accountability...which is exactly what I provide in my role of executive coach. People come to me to help them achieve success - and it's vital that I hold them accountable. I hold their feet to the fire so to speak to do what they said they were going to do. Maybe that's the issue here. I didn't promise to blog on a regular basis to anyone but myself...and as any of us know who've made New Year's resolutions only to kiss them a sweet goodbye within 6 weeks knows, it's not enough to strike a bargain with ourselves. We have to shout our intentions to the world and hope (know) that someone among the great mass of humanity is going to call us to task when we don't do what we said we were going to do. So consider this my shout out - you'll be hearing from me at least three times a week on this blog. And I know I'll hear from someone if I don't follow through. Which reminds me of something else - I know people read this because they e-mail or phone me privately. They get to the blog through our website and get my e-mail and/or phone number and ring me up...which I love. But it's also okay to talk to me here. Enough on that subject.

I facilitated my first community drum circle 3 weeks ago. Fourteen women showed, many of whom I hadn't met before. They were a diverse group - from all walks of life. And they didn't know each other, either. An hour and a half later, we were bonded...not in a "we're best buds" kind of way but in that "it felt good to wail on something after a long week" kind of way. We'd gotten into a rhythm together - although not effortlessly at first - and just jammed. I ended the session with them drumming to a guided imagery I put together. No one left stressed, so mission accomplished. I've heard from them all wanting to know when we're going to do it again. Soon...I said.