The magic has happened again.

We were there to learn, to be open, to be brave. To rise and fail and to do it again… Many might think, oh no, groupwork… All those unknown faces, backgrounds, opinions. What to expect?

It is ok to be skeptical, not knowing what you are in for. How it’s all gonna go. How you will be welcomed, how you will react, what will the presence of the others do for you or do with you.

It counts how you are led. Who is the facilitator, how (s)he sets the tone. It also counts how YOU lead. How you come in, move in the space, interact. It all joins into a fanfare, looks and words are being exchanged. The goal is to grow, individually, but actually, all you do is growing together.

Unnoticed, in those little conversations, that happen again and again, you learn to listen to yourself, deeply, inside, and learn to hear the other. In a space without judgement, in a state of peace, it all flows.

And then it happens. You notice, that you are taller and the others are growing too. You almost see them as flowers, having a longer stem, a stronger core than when you began. They reach out higher from the ground. You achieved it together.

When it is time, you find it hard to say goodbye. To total strangers. These are people you know since just a short time. Because they opened up, you came closer. It feels weird to break the bond that is so pristine, so new, so fragile. That has just risen from the ground.

Yet, the people do part and go their own ways, carrying in themselves what they have just experienced. The seeds continue to grow, the words, the gestures continue to vibrate. What they learned comes alive every time they remember, they read their notes, they see a familiar situation. They might have let go of each other, but some of what they have experienced stays with them and continues to do the work.

This is the magic. The magic of growing, together.