Fall at Trout Lake

As I watch the leaves slowly reaching the ground, I have an epiphany about why ‘fall’ is called ‘fall’.

Almost three weeks into the Sauvé Program, and nine of us are having a relaxing retreat with the stated mission of ‘enjoying Canada before it gets cold’.

I am eating Corn Flakes with milk and listening to Cuban music. Outside it is raining. I am sitting on a sofa in the veranda of a cottage somewhere outside Montreal contemplating leaves becoming yellow. Yesterday I was not sure what a ‘cottage’ was all about. Now I know it is a place from which the world seems a little slower and calmer.

This morning I passed up going on an excursion to the local fruit market in order to work on my “one pager,” a document that will be circulated to support the achievement of my goals during the next nine months. I stayed behind in the calm of the cottage to put my mind in order. 

A lot has happened since I moved to Montreal. We have been in a constant orientation mode and my system has not yet assimilated to the reality that the Sauvé house and Montreal are my new homes.  Last week I was lucky to attend the CIVICUS World Assembly which turned out to be an inspiring networking and idea-rich experience. 

Meanwhile, I still do not have a lot of clarity about how I will prioritize and reach my goals this year. Working on the one pager is helping me organize and compartmentalize the different inputs, plans and considerations I have had so far. I am ready (and slightly edgy) to dig into the heart of my work: building a financial strategy and a board of directors to ensure Recrear, the organization I co-founded and worked with during the last two years, can continue working towards its vision. In the weeks that follow I will begin a full regime of meetings, classes and independent work…This weekend at the cottage is an opportunity to put things in perspective, and get reenergized.

Most importantly, however, this weekend I am on a mission to enjoy this time with my roommates. After a few hours of reflection (the falling leaves and pattering rain a backdrop for my contemplation) I am actually looking forward to the return of my Sauvé buddies at the cottage. In the midst of all the little practical things we talk about on a daily basis, we still have had little time to get to know one another more deeply.  We have a good idea of one another’s professional experiences and ambitions, but still little real comprehension of how the micro thoughts and experiences of each person blend together to make us the unique cocktail we are.

This weekend, I want to make sure to engage in real conversations with each person, without getting stuck in the technicalities of our “to do's.” At the very beginning of this exercise, I feel that every little story that we share is this gateway to another culture and conception of the world- to another very unique individual universe. In the process, I am starting to become very aware that this type of exchange will be the most incredible aspect of my experience during the Sauvé Program.

By Gioel Gioacchino