Celebration – The Needs’ Year (Week 41)
I was on stage with my children. Behind us stood the punk karaoke band “Jerka Kay and the Copycats”. The band started to play “602” by the classic Swedish punk band KSMB. We screamed along to the lyrics and danced on the stage. Below in the audience were...
Communication – The Needs’ Year (Week 39)
The break was over and not a single participant was back in the working room. I was an assistant at an NVC workshop and I impatiently looked at the watch and wanted to continue the course. After a short while, I stood in the doorway and whistled. Immediately people...
Contribution – The Needs’ Year (Week 38)
About ten years ago I was an assistant during a Nonviolent Communication course for the first time. I spent a weekend in Tollare Folkhögskola (a school for grown-ups) with my teacher Kay Rung. It was fun, exciting and a great experience. While I could contribute in...
Inspiration – The Needs’ Year (Week 37)
The day before yesterday I got married! After the wedding ceremony and partying all night I was dead tired. All of Sunday was spent eating leftovers and resting. Visiting party guests came over for brunch while waiting for buses and trains back home. Later I took a...
Fairness – The Needs’ Year (Week 36)
During my first year-long training course in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), all participants went through a social experiment. During one of our lunches, we were divided into three groups. The biggest group received a simple meal consisting of rice and beans. I was...
Challenge – The Needs’ Year (Week 35)
I stood on the top and looked down. It was so steep that I couldn’t see the end of the ski slope. For a couple of minutes I mustered up the courage and then I headed downhill. I zigzagged down at increasing speed. Suddenly, I fell over and landed on my back,...
Clarity – The Needs’ Year (Week 34)
I’m desperately trying to change the language on the computer. Everything is in Polish and I don’t understand anything! I call Magda for the fifteenth time and ask her to help me translate some commands, so I can perform the most basic tasks. I feel stressed,...
Learning – The Needs’ Year (Week 33)
Inevitably, my eyes are drawn to the bookshelf. I scan titles and my eyes become fixed on a yellow book with the title “The Culture Map”. I ask my host, Paulina, if the book is good and if she recommends it. “Do you want to borrow it?” she asks and I’m not...