This year, for the first time, I started working with clients in groups. I’ve probably told you about this, but I can never remember what I’ve said and what I haven’t. Anyway, I had this idea about the power of the group. I could do my thing, whatever it is - mentor, coach, guide, catalyst - and the group would do the rest. Something magical, I was convinced, would happen.
This, now I think of it, was a fairly high risk strategy. What if the group didn’t cohere? What if the people were too different, or just in various, clashing places in their lives, or otherwise incompatible?
The people came together and they were marvellously, gloriously, vividly different. They came from all points on the compass - Mexico, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Australia. They had different horses and they were doing different things with their horses.
And yet, like a gleaming carousel of wonder, the magic showed itself.
The kindness, funniness, courage, intelligence, rawness, honesty are off the scale. They manage to bring out the best in each other and in themselves. And in me. They make me shout with delight and wave my arms around in enthusiasm and gasp in astonishment. Sometimes, they make me cry. (You can see that I am a very professional outfit.)
I’ve just finished one such group. I don’t have adjectives for this session, it was so mighty. All I can tell you is that it’s after ten, and I’ve just stopped my work for the day, and I should be drained and exhausted. (The idea of doing groups at night was partly because of the time differences and partly because I thought: well, I’d only be watching Netflix or reading a book, so I might as well take that time and do something meaningful with it.)
I’m not drained. I want to go out dancing. The sheer human wonder that was sent to me this evening was like being given a present or a surprise or a great gallop on a windy day. It was exhilarating and joyous and marvellously real.
I wanted to write that down. It’s one of the things I want to remember, when I’m having a crappy day or when my faith in humanity is tested or when the headlines are bad. There are truly fine people in the world and I’m lucky enough to know some of them.
And when you put some of those people together, in a group, and let them run - pure magic.