Visiting the headwaters- The Power of Journey

This weekend, for the first time, I visited the headwaters of Gichi-ziibi, a big river, and the Ojibwe word that describes the Mississippi River. The journey to visit the Headwaters is a rite of passage to many who have lived among this mighty river, and I was so struck to stand in the waters of the river that has shaped my life, the land I live one, the land that thousands of plants and animals live on, this land and this water have been witness to the stories that have shaped the violent, complex histories of this nation. 

And

The beginning, the Headwaters, are so humble. 

My kid could easily walk across in 10 steps, but preferred to jump on the rocks to get to the other side. 

And as I stood in this emergence I thought about journey. The journey that this water takes to the Gulf. The journeys people have taken on these waters. What it meant when the waters were colonized and occupied, and the current struggle for clean water and indigenous treaty rights. How the stories of 300-400 years ago are still emergent today as that journey continues. 

And how your journey continues like the flowing waters of the great Gichi-ziibi, always winding and encountering obstacles along the way, but always flowing. 

Our stories are always flowing, emerging, always. And at some points we pause, climb a bluff, and look over the great stories of our lives. 

Coaching is a chance to pause. A chance to deepen relationship with self, with who you want to be now, and who you want to become. 

I’d love to hear about your journey and support you around the next river bend, wherever that may lead...

Image description: Shor smiling at the headwaters in front of some water and a wooden post that reads “Here 1475 feet above the ocean the mighty mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2552 miles to the gulf of mexico.”