Build your nest (at home or work or a park, with friends & family)

We have a small backyard in our tiny brownstone in Brooklyn. And this year, with all the time to garden since we’re home, we finally wrangled our rose vines and gently coaxed them over an archway we (well actually my husband, there was no we) fashioned from PVC pipe. And they are now less wild and crazy and more well maintained and ready to bloom. It is wonderful to sit beneath them and just relax. And lo and behold, after doing some care for our roses, a mockingbird family built a nest in true Brooklyn fashion— a duplex actually—and moved in! First, welcome to Mr. and Ms. Mockingbird to Windsor Terrace! What an honor to have them move in. But it made me reflect and ponder. What nesting can we do, which can invite others in our lives to thrive?

Nest with your dear friends. I will admit I am arguably an absentee friend. Not because I don’t care, but I am mostly an introvert and I am tired by the end of the day. But recently I’ve tried hard to do some maintenance and focus on creating space for my friends to connect—albeit virtually. I have heard of some really amazing ideas that others have done, and bravo on the scavenger hunts and whatnots—in my case it’s phone calls, silly texts and even old school mail.

Nest at work. What foundation can you build to help set your work up for growth? With a team I was working with recently it was connecting directly with our “customers” and directly hearing their challenges, wins and feedback on a program I ran. The time spent connecting, recording and digesting was an enormous effort, but one that inspired me and helped us focus on what matters most, what will drive the biggest impact.

Nest for yourself, literally. I spend most days in my tiny home office, and I was really not loving it. It had two giants desks, 1 a dumping ground, and space for little else. I was not happy. Then when admiring my friend’s office on a zoom call she shared she redid her own space to major it more comfortable. I realized I needed to do the same. So—my cluttered desk was removed and a new tiny sofa was added and then suddenly I felt so much better. Kids pop in throughout the day. I sit there to think. For my son his nesting involved a running challenge. Whatever it is, don’t neglect self care, or minimize its importance.

Hope everyone is enjoying spring nests of their own. Take care of yourself and others, be kind, and take a moment to care for those rose bushes!