Collaboration

I am a collaborative person - I like working with others. I like sharing my ideas and I like listening to others' thoughts and ideas.  More and more these days I realize how important the collaborative relationships in my life are. 

I walk every morning, early, and I have to be honest...the only reason I get out of bed is that I know Cindy will be waiting for me.  There is no guilt - we established that early on - but there is an expectation that we will support each other in our quest to exercise.  I'm not a Jillian Michaels type of suburban mom - although Cindy probably could be - so the goal isn't to have the best looking abs in the neighborhood.  But we drag ourselves out of bed because for one of us to not go would be letting the other down.  I so appreciate Cindy's support - part exercise, part talk therapy - yep, at 5:30 in the morning.

Once a month I have the opportunity to collaborate with a special group of people - both teachers and writers - and the evening is always both entertaining and thought-provoking.  I love that we are able to talk teaching "shop" for much of the evening, without excluding anyone.  And, our passions run along similar lines, although our methodologies may differ, and what a safe place this is to think and share philosophy about teaching and schools.  Our writing, too, benefits from the safety of this group.  Constructive feedback for us seems to always start with what we enjoyed about another's writing - or what part spoke to us.  Tonight we shared favorite slices that we've posted thus far; and, like the lovely comments from slicers from around the world, the feedback from a friend and trusted colleague means so much. 

Perhaps the ultimate collaboration is sharing responsibility for the care of another - be it a pet, a child, or an elderly parent.  This daily, long-term collaboration often gets short shrift in today's busy world, but it is vital to listen and share thoughts with each other about how things are going. Perhaps to facilitate this, a date night does make sense - although I resist leaving our charges - it is important to nurture the sharing and listening, the foundation for excellent collaboration.