Almost everyone knows by now that not only do I love all things involving LEGO bricks, I am also a trained facilitator in a methodology called LEGO Serious Play (LSP). This year I’ve been focused on using LSP with family and professional caregivers and staffs of assisted living, adult day programs and memory care facilities to help them ReBuild Joy with LEGO bricks. Last November I also took a course that taught me how to facilitate LSP sessions virtually, which I never thought was possible until COVID hit.
There is a large group of LSP facilitators from around the world who connect via a LinkedIn page and through gatherings to share ideas and collaborate. I’m now part of that group and will be gathering with them next week for an exciting four hours of learning and sharing. One of my new LSP facilitator friends is Anat Shabi and she hosts a LSP Happy Hour on Fridays at 5pm London time which I was looking forward to attending. After missing a session two weeks ago because I screwed up the start time due to the time difference, yesterday I got the time right and attended an amazing session!!
In honor of her birthday this week, the theme of Anat’s Happy Hour was Gifts, our gifts to the world and the rewards of giving! I was stunned by the global representation in the group, with folks from the US, UK, India and New Zealand!! Some in the group where it was 5pm enjoyed their favorite drink, while the rest of us who were attending during the lunch hour or late at night enjoyed water or coffee. After friendly greetings we got right to work on the theme of Gifts and I learned something cool in the first two minutes! Anat instructed us to close our eyes and pick five LEGO bricks from the pile of all colors and shapes of bricks we had in front of us and then build a model to represent one of our unique gifts and how we share it with the world!! It was more difficult than it sounds and incredibly four of the five bricks I picked were the color green! Don’t know how that happened but it was amazing!! The group’s sharing of their “gifts” stories was very powerful!!
For the second task we went to breakout rooms with a partner to discuss a gift we had given to others and how it made us feel!! I was partnered with Christina from New Zealand who shared that she’d been following my posts involving on LinkedIn and was very happy to meet me in person!! The feeling was mutual!! We spent our 10 minutes together sharing the stories of our models!! I learned how kind and giving Christina is! Before I knew it our time was up and we were back in the large group.
Anat is a very skilled facilitator and the hour she led us through flew by! I learned a couple of things about myself and learned a great deal about my new friends. LEGO bricks have always been much more than a toy to me, they are truly a means as Anat put it so well to help us use our “unique gifts and innate skills of listening, inspiring, empowering and giving hope” to truly make a difference in this world. It was a very Different Happy Hour, one in which we enjoyed our favorite beverages along with recognizing and embracing the gifts we each share with the world. I’ll definitely drink to that!
Conquering Life; Love and Dialogue with Loretta Veney 
Loretta,
So much of your life seems to be about building community, and this post is such a wonderful example of that. Supporting dementia caregivers as you do is such an important means of building community for people who can easily feel alone and isolated in their efforts to care for their loved ones. And now I find out you have a worldwide community for your LSP tool, which I know is such an important part of your work with caregivers and dementia sufferers. I am so glad you are having such rich encounters with other LSP facilitators around the world.
I picture your group as a part of the “web of community” that connects people who are committed to countering all the forces that are so ready to build walls and enforce separation rather than build connections and relationships in this world. You, just like your Lego pieces, are a CONNECTOR! You bring people together; you look for ways to connect interests and needs. Thank God for connectors like you, Loretta. I salute you all.
Thanks for sharing this encouraging story with us!
Much love,
Karen
Karen,
You are so amazing and I LOVE your support!! How right you are…. I am all about Building Communities and being a CONNECTOR!! Not only are you a Godsend but so is this International group I discovered a few months ago when I increased my interaction on LinkedIn and started following the group. When I posted my LEGO builds and related them to dementia and caregiving I ended up being featured in the LSP magazine which I believe I sent you. It was such an honor!
I’ve never done coaching, but since Anat is a coach in her business, I sure did learn some techniques from her yesterday that will help me to “unofficially” coach caregivers!! It really was stunning to me that so many people showed up with their drinks … and they love learning from each other, not putting each down or competing for business, just finding new ways to serve their clients and show the simply incredible benefits of LEGO Serious Play!! I’m looking forward to the rest of 2021 and learning with my new colleagues. Even my full-time job is supporting my learning as next Tuesday I’ll be logging on a 5am (my exercise time) to learn from the LSP Connect groups. By the time the class is finished at 9am EST most of my regular co-workers will just be logging on for the day!
What I live I have, learning from people from all different cultures and backgrounds who are excited to learn and to share!!
Much love to you my friend!! and I haven’t forgotten about our chat about the Capitol. Send me some days / times that work for you next week!
Loretta
Thank for sharing your experience with us.
I will be looking forward to hearing about your future happy hour meetings.
Great Blog.
Good luck on your future LEGGO sessions.
Interaction and supporting each other is the best way to unite and advocate for each other.
Love and respect
Maria
Maria,
I can’t thank you enough for your support!! I hope my LEGO sessions will help lots of caregivers! And YES us interacting and supporting each other is an amazing way to advocate and unite!! Together we ROCK!!