Originally sent on May 23, 2023

Hi Barb,

Yesterday, I had just sat down to draft a Linked In post when my neighbor Julie called.

Breathless, Julie exclaimed, “I’ve been trying to call you! There’s a newborn fawn in your front yard, by your car!”

I headed out the front door and circled around, keeping my distance from the car, waving my thanks to Julie.   

A couple other neighbors, standing guard, pointed out the tiny fawn, no larger than our cat, nestled in among the daylilies. Its eyes were soft black and its ears pivoted to new noises.

I took a picture (above) and quietly went into the house, grateful to know that this newborn would grace our yard for a while, and its mother would soon return to care for it.

I thought about the movie “About Time,” in which a dying father shares his secret formula for happiness with his son. 

"The secret has two parts," the father says. "Part 1 is to get on with ordinary life, living it day by day like anyone else. And Part 2 is to relive each day, noticing what made that day sweet."

Back at my desk, and thinking of nothing profound to post on Linked In, I uploaded the fawn's photo.

Immediately, a message popped up, advising (warning?) me to "consider discussing the importance this may have for other professionals."  (never saw THAT before!)

Maybe Linked In wanted me to say something heady like "when our ideas are just barely born, we need to let them rest."

Instead, I noted that there are times when we just need to take a break and be in wonder for a while.

This fawn made my yesterday sweet.

What was sweet about your yesterday? I would love to hear about it – please reply and sweeten my today.

Warmly,

Barb Bickford

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Take a break for better results

In meetings as in life, it’s easy to get caught up in the fast-paced nature of things and forget the importance of taking breaks.

Encouraging meeting participants to take short breaks to stretch, look out a window or simply breathe deeply can help them stay present and engaged throughout a meeting.

This is especially important for on-line meetings, when we tend to move less than during in-person meetings.

So, next time you're facilitating a meeting, plan for breaks and take them. Your participants will thank you for it!

Want more tips? Access Ten Tips to Foster Online Engagement.

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