Once again, I had the privilege of being at one of the most meaningful tables I think I have ever been invited to sit at. As we closed out the conversation this week, Lisa Amaya Jackson recalled how when she joined the NCTSN a colleague told her it would be a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” I felt it, as she spoke those words, the deepest gratitude for this opportunity and a clear recognition of how truly blessed I am in this very moment to be in a space like this. 

It’s so hard to share so much of the work I do with the world. Somehow the work, the relationships, the spaces always seem to get flattened in the retelling. There is a powerful loss that happens, simply because you cannot experience what was created for but a brief moment with incredible humans you may never meet in person. This challenges me to think of how to convey the power of perseverance, passion, and even that daring tidbit of hope we still can’t seem to shed. How do I share, so you can understand, so you can marvel, so you can take away what I have been blessed with?

Lately, I have also been wrestling with spaces. Spaces where I am valued, where I belong, and where I am able to show up and truly allowed to co-shape. This seems an ongoing reflection that I find myself revisiting. Sometimes I do, because my life situation forces me to reconsider how many things I take on, sometimes because it becomes apparent that a space is set and is unwilling to grow, and sometimes because I am trying to understand an underlying meaning or lesson and just can’t quite figure it out, or my role in it.

This reflection has been playing in my mind a lot recently. Even when I sat down Monday morning to breakfast with these incredible leaders who I hadn’t seen in person since last year. Surprisingly, I realized something within seconds. Those who love learning will love listening to those who have learned lessons. Those who love growth, will love celebrating those who have grown. Those who want to see change happen, will allow and encourage change to happen. 

I realized this the second Lisa smiled at me when she first saw me this week and said, “You have no idea how much we talk about you and ask, What would Susie do?” She said it with the biggest smile and I knew it was true because of how open they have always been to listening to the hard lessons I have learned. I feel so deeply valued in this space and know how desperately each and every person here cares about the wellbeing and success of our nation’s children, youth, and their families. We want our country to have a healthy, happy, and long future and many of us believe it can be done.

I wish I could bring you behind the scenes into the depth of dialogue we shared, but there is no way to do these conversations true justice. There is no way to keep from flattening this dynamically 3D conversation. There is no way to share, without losing some valuable sense of what we all experienced. 

I can say, I have learned from every person here. I have heard them. I have felt the power they embody, and I have walked away wanting to do this for the rest of my life. This week, I am blessed, I am more learned, and I am open to opportunity and hope because of what we created here together. 

Our closing activity was to free-write for a few moments and I would like to share what I wrote and then shared out to the group, in the hopes it not only makes sense but helps others feel a small fraction of the power that is held within that room. We can cultivate. We can flourish. We can, in and for community.

“A cultivating space isn’t uniform, but embraces the diverse needs that make up nature. A cactus cannot thrive in the wet, humid climate of the jungle, just as a bird of paradise can never blossom in the frigid air of Alaska. True cultivation understands the beauty and value found in all, without ever forcing conformity. To flourish, we must make spaces where openness can be had, where what allows us to heal and thrive is within reach, and where we can all blossom, unflinchingly and in full view.

This space is adaptable, driven by the desire to serve, and deeply motivated to survive. Not one of performance, where being seen hides all of the rot eating away at the roots. We are creating a space of life, through dialogue, introspection, idea sharing, and Still, one of a dream of betterment for our children and their families.”

We can cultivate healthier environments as long as we understand the conditions we need, apply the right tools, and never forget that ‘mental health and healthcare is also a basic need.’ (Lauren Absher)

Be in spaces where you are celebrated and can flourish. Be in spaces that are cultivated just for you. Never forget that we are each creating these spaces, every second of every day.