Agreeing to it All

“These times they are a changin.” - Bob Dylan

We are witnessing first hand how powerful and how true these words are.  And we have choices all along the way through these changes.  We can join the resistance, dig our heels in deep and hold tight to our “old beliefs”, old ways of doing things, and refuse to change with the times.  And wait it out.  We can be the activist, the protestor, fighting for our justice to keep things status quo.  Or, we can choose to change along with the times, to find a new way to be, to act, to think.  To grow.  We can go inside and ask ourselves, what can these changes give to me? Or, how can these changes help me to bring out to others my gifts? 

We all have within us the capability to adjust and adapt to change, yet most of us feel the fear or the deep holding in of our breath as we freeze from this fear.  Your choice.  Let go of the holding in, of the deep contraction to keep things within our grasp and with the old ways of being.  But that brings about the hiding, the shadow part of ourselves, and the stopping ourselves from moving forward.  Or, we can embrace the changes and find new ways of reaching or maintaining our old goals and our dreams within a new framework.  There is no right or wrong, just a choice.  Either choice brings us the lessons we need to learn.  
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We choose to not hide, and to not withdraw.  We choose to adjust and adapt to a new framework.  We choose to reach our goal for an in person conference, we just may have to find a new way to do that.  This may mean maintaining the new social distancing guidelines in November, if the need continues.  Or this may mean postponing the conference until we can be safe together to do this work.  There are also other options we can look at down the road, just to give us choices to think about.  

So with that in mind, we are still forging ahead.  The Broadmoor is working to stay well within all CDC guidelines to keep their guests safe.  They are opening their doors to gatherings and large events once again, and they are looking forward to hosting our conference.  We know many of you are feeling unsafe and we appreciate your concerns.  Your concerns were once our concerns too.  That’s why we are working on how to make this safest for everyone while moving forward in a positive way.  We believe that life as we know it now does not have to stop forever.  Just temporarily, and just with adjustments.  And we do not know yet how long this temporary situation will last.  

Since we do not have that end date announced yet, we choose to keep planning a fantastic conference for all of you.  We all need this healing, now more than ever in our lifetimes.  This is certainly an unprecedented time for us all.  If your intention is to come to this conference in November as long as you could continue to feel safe doing so, would you be willing to register now?  Registration is an indication of your intention to attend and greatly supports our planning.  You can pay using the 50% down payment option, and with the refund option in place should we need to use it. 

To increase health and safety, the staff at the Broadmoor is implementing additional hygiene and distancing protocols as recommended by the CDC.  In an effort to support your needs for safety and comfort, we are also developing additional recommendations we can implement while at the Broadmoor.  This year especially, we hope to greatly strengthen our connection to our community by exploring in the realm of personal choice and responsibility, together.

​Let’s agree, if we can, to choosing to live life fully while remaining safe.  Let’s agree to hosting a fantastic conference, even if it has to be within a new framework for how that will manifest.  Let’s agree to showing up for ourselves, to showing up for our families and for our clients, to helping each other through this time and to a new way of being.  And let’s agree to not hide, in spite of any fears or concerns, because we have each other to lean on for strength and resiliency.  Let’s agree to it all.  Together.  


With Gratitude and Blessings,
Susan Macknin
Co-Director, NASC 2020 Conference