I spent the past week in upstate New York, at Tapawingo with my mother and Mark (and his little brother) and my beautiful grandmother and a dancing constellation of aunts and uncles and myriad cousins. Lots of mosquitos, too, and a few wild dogs, and countless stories and memories and emotions. This was the land where I drew my first breath.

My mum has a photo on her blog of one evening we spent, after our island picnic, floating candle-studded piece of moss out into the dark lake. There are more photos, too, but they can't quite capture the being there, and this alone makes me feel shy about sharing.

It's nice to be back, though, very, both in Boulder (which feels like home) and to Gaia (which is home in a different and deeper way). When it comes to the latter we're in the process of dreaming up a summer of polishing and revisioning, so as to help improve the navigation and performance of the whole site and to, at the same time, help clarify and support what's emerging here, and it's so beautiful to return to those others I'm so fortunate to be working with.

I spent this past weekend at the inaugural Matrix Leadership Conference, which was wonderful and challenging and utterly exhausting. I came into the weekend (it began Thursday night) expecting a series of workshops and trainings on more traditional forms of leadership, and instead got tsunami-ed by a intense, processed-oriented marathon on systemic inequity and internalized oppression and the mysterious and ineffable keenings of group fields and the Gordian knots of organizational forces. Wrestling with that frustration--my initial irritation at being confronted with issues that I didn't feel I had the emotional wherewithal to hold, and the sadness of realizing this anger should not be directed at the conference, but at the fact that such problems exist in this world--was itself a lesson, though, and if nothing else, I'm relieved that it's Monday and to be back in my own happily-chosen work-culture.

Phew.

And speaking of, the big news at work today was the welcoming of the Natural Habitat crew to our Gaiam headquarters. Our entire office moved recently from a rented place in Broomfield to our very own (yay!), much larger, building just outside Boulder, and Natural Habitat took this opportunity to move from their own space in with us. So far the best part about this co-habitation has been how many four-legged creatures came with them: pattering about the boxes and shipping crates were a small army of dogs, all of whom seem to have quite comfortably made themselves at home. There's nothing like seeing a creature blissfully sprawled out on the floor to remind me to just relax--especially those days where I'm chewing my nails over spreadsheets.

In other work-related news, Jackson and Chris started today on our major end-of-summer project (beginning-of-summer was all under-the-hood-stuff; hopefully you've noticed a significant improvement in site speed and performance). We're going to have a few mock-ups of a revamped navigation (both a new user interface and a much much much better--we hope!--user experience) to show off soon, and with any luck it won't be long before Gaia is easier and more efficient for all you long-time members to make use of, and more welcoming and understandable for our brand-newbies. I'm excited about this (I'm a big believer in the necessary relationship between style and substance, and I'm looking forward to having the look and feel of the site better reflect our values of peacefulness and harmony and expansive awareness and compassion...), and can't wait to show off our first drafts.

It's also Rommel's birthday. Make sure you send some love his way. :)

Do you know about Martin Seligman's Signature Strengths? I'm usually a little skeptical about typologies and quizzes (every time I take personality tests I get a different result, it seems!), but I've deeply appreciated this particular survey.

It's long (240 questions!) but there's a quick version as well, and taking it is useful not so much because you'll know how to categorize yourself, but because the results can be used to bring about more flow experiences. (If you find out that your top strength is 'social intelligence', say, and that awareness around the motives and feelings of others is something you excel at, you can look for ways to draw on that strength in your day-to-day life.) Apparently, many people have found that the they use their core strengths, the more fulfilled and meaningful they find their lives to be... which to my mind is something the whole world could use more of.

If you want to discover yours, just go here. (You'll have to register, but the rest of the tools and inventories are rewarding and worthwhile, and if nothing else it's good research to be involved in.) Earlier this week I asked the rest of the Team to try the survey and post their results, and so it's only fair, I think, that I put mine up as well. :)

Your Top Strength
Capacity to love and be loved
You value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.

Your Second Strength
Curiosity and interest in the world
You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.

Your Third Strength
Love of learning
You love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always loved school, reading, and museums-anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn.

Your Fourth Strength
Gratitude
You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.

Your Fifth Strength
Perspective (wisdom)
Although you may not think of yourself as wise, your friends hold this view of you. They value your perspective on matters and turn to you for advice. You have a way of looking at the world that makes sense to others and to yourself.

Strength #6
Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith
You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you.

Strength #7
Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness
You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.

Strength #8
Social intelligence
You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.

Strength #9
Forgiveness and mercy
You forgive those who have done you wrong. You always give people a second chance. Your guiding principle is mercy and not revenge.

Strength #10
Zest, enthusiasm, and energy
Regardless of what you do, you approach it with excitement and energy. You never do anything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.