Some grumble that roses have thorns. I’m thankful that thorns have roses. Life’s complex. Best to look at it with loving perspective & embrace it all.
CONNECTION
Whether it’s WiFi or relationships we call crave it. We all need it to feel happy, healthy and hopeful - especially these days.
A great way to boost that CONNECTION is through regular & meaningful conversation.
How to do that simply though? May I suggest we be inspired by the flowers, specifically roses.
Sharing Roses, Buds & Thorns is a quick way to connect heart to heart. It provides a structure and space to make conversations & relationships BLOOM.
It’s something I like to do regularly with a small group of friends/family I love.
Here’s how it works:
Each person shares their Rose, Bud, and Thorn for the day/week/month/year. You choose the time frame. Try to be detailed as you share however, each person spends no more than 2 minutes talking and no one is allowed to interrupt. Open conversation between each speaker is fine. You can do this with different or even no time constraints. You may even drop the interrupting rule, but that makes it easy to get off topic and accidentally not get to someone if your time together is limited.
Your Rose is something positive, an opportunity for us to celebrate or revel in a happy moment together. Examples of Roses could be:
“I got a promotion/got hired for a new job."
“We helped push a car out of the snow successfully."
“I kept to my self-care schedule this week and it felt amazing”
Your Bud is either something that shows promise and/or something bittersweet. This is how we know what you’re working on so we can encourage you in the days ahead. Examples of Buds might be:
"I’m learning how to play chess for the first time."
"I have been trying new soup recipies…some actually taste great!"
I’m relearning how to speak Spanish.”
Your Thorn is a challenge, frustration, or sadness. This is your opportunity for a bit of cathartic group therapy and to lean into our collective support. Examples of Thorns include:
"I found a leak under our kitchen sink and had to clean it out & get it fixed."
“I really miss my friends and traveling.”
“I’m worried about my partner going into work safely.”
Rose = Gratitude
Bud = Hope
Thorn = Support
Can you see the simple beauty here?
Everyone has a chance to speak. Everyone is heard about stuff that matters - the struggles and joys all of our hearts go through in life.
Great done with family, friends or even colleagues.
Let me know it you try this out this week and how it goes?
And if life’s been serving up lots of thorns and you find yourself needing a little extra support, treat yourself to this Gentle Yoga practice. I hope it’ll be a rose for you.
Wishing you strong connections & ALL GOOD THINGS always,
Mary
