“They’re coming,” I said into the cool night air. The house, with its windows lit against the dark, seemed to take a fuller breath, as if it already knew. The house would have my back. It would hold the stories, the tears, the bursts of laughter, everything that was about to arrive. And the old cedars around us, steady and unbothered, would help too. They always did.

The team, tired from travel and a bit tense, softened almost at once in the house’s wabi-sabi comfort: crooked floorboards, a roaring fire, candlelight. A whisper of “no need to try so hard here.” It was the start of a management team IFS retreat, a first for them and a quiet experiment for Thomas and me. Bringing IFS into a workplace can feel fragile, even risky, after all.

A RYTHM OF PRESENCE

We moved through the days in a rhythm that felt surprisingly natural: IFS sessions went deep, and SoulCollage® offered a quieter kind of play. A way to see parts of yourself in images, to notice without needing to explain. We went into the woods where Forest Bathing gave space to breathe, to wander, to let thoughts settle. Conversations happened in the hot tub, later by the fireplace, the kind that only arise when people feel safe enough to speak honestly.

The wabi-sabi spirit of Lescure moved quietly among us. It slowed the pace, softened the edges, and gave minds a place to rest. I saw the team arrive and, little by little, settle into the house, into the days, into one another. There was less effort, more listening. Enough trust to explore, enough curiosity to follow what appeared. In the end, everything fell into a gentle harmony, and the house, the land, and the days seemed to hold it all, part by part.

Thank you, Jennifer, Marnix, and Suzanne, for sharing the experience with us, with the house, and with the cedars! Your courage and openness made it possible.

Take a moment to discover the thoughtful, beautiful work of The Present and Room for Change.