Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Of milestones...



A long drive
The anticipation
Longing desperately
For the destination

The eyes seek
The big milestones
Signs that speak
Markers along the way

But hey!
Though they stand steadfast
A blink of an eye
And they've rushed past

A fleeting satisfaction
I'm closer in a way
To my destination

Now, it's futile
To turn back
Try to track
These milestones again

They've served their purpose
They've played their part
They've given me the impetus
I needed to start
On the remainder
Of this beautiful journey
They're simply a reminder
That it begins anew
Each moment
- April 26, 2014

Thursday, April 24, 2014

A take on - "What Matters"



A Techtacular 2014 Collage!



April 22, 2014 was the culmination of several weeks of hard work by our team at 501 Commons. Hard work yes, but oh-so-fun! 
Our annual event, the Techtacular, with the theme - 'Tweets, Beats and Haiku'.
A poetry slam, happy hour, round robin beat poetry, and some insightful haiku later, we realized how multi-talented each member of our team is. On D-Day, I thought it was delightful how enthusiastic folks were about the beatnik dress code including the berets. Not just staff, but our awesome volunteer helpers too!

After the telling of our story in the formal part of the evening (which lasted all of 15 minutes!), here's the poem I shared... Hidden in it are the names of three of our cool programs. Brownie points for finding them, and yes, can you tell? I do completely love the work we get to do everyday.


Doing good matters
Doing it NOW matters
Doing it RIGHT matters

But getting there?
How will we ever get there?

Resources matter
Volunteers matter
Unleashed knowledge matters

Catalysts all
That Springboard
Our Community to success

Offering that Deep Dive
To uncover
What's the matter?
How can we be better? 

How we see ourselves matters
How we measure success matters
Expertise matters certainly
Excellence matters always
But more importantly
Flexibility matters
Building on strengths matters

We are here today because the mission matters
Strengthening this community matters

- April 8, 2014