#08 The day I, who was bad at speaking, opened a space for the first time

Hello, everyone.
This is a note about 《learning from the Nordics》 to light a fire in your heart.

In this note, two people who met in Denmark, a Nordic country, will share stories based on their respective experiences that will "brighten your heart a little."

▼ This note is a transcript of this broadcast.

【Yo】Now, today's theme is "The day I, who was bad at speaking, opened a space for the first time." Annu-chan, thank you for joining me again today.

June 27th, exactly three years ago, was the day we graduated from the Nørre Nissum Højskole where we were staying,

and since it makes me very happy that Annu-chan was able to hold her first event on the exact same day three years later, I would like to talk about that today.

Or rather, it's been exactly three years, and I'm just so happy that we're able to do this radio show like this after three years (laughs). It's also nice that the day we casually set happened to be exactly three years after our graduation day.

First, may I ask what kind of event it was?

【An】Yes. First of all, the event was called "Candle Night: Let go of speaking well and go pick up your own words."

Since it was in the evening, I lined up several candles on the table and held a gathering where we could "sit around the candles and talk" with everyone who came.

【Yo】How was it, opening your own space for the first time??

【An】Since it was the first time in my life that I actually became an organizer and opened a space, I couldn't stop my heart from racing.

Until now, I had always been in the position of participating in spaces created by others, so it was a brand-new feeling, and there were many things I had to think about in a new way, so I learned a lot myself.

【Yo】I was also there, and it was a full house, wasn't it.

When Annu-chan held the Candle Night, she talked about her own experiences in Denmark and her own story of why she wanted to open a space in this way, and I thought it was absolutely wonderful that after three years, that experience is properly reaching someone.

A few episodes ago, I talked about how "that is also a part of you, so there is no need to rush," and it really connects back to that, doesn't it?

[Nu] Being told "that is also a part of you, so there is no need to rush" happened when I went to Denmark and participated in a dialogue space like that.

So, it is deeply moving that three years after receiving something so important, I now want to create such a space and have become the one creating it.

It is like I have reached the position of passing on what I received to someone else.

[Yo] That is true. "That is also a part of you, so there is no need to rush" means that the version of you who cannot speak well, or the version of you who thinks you are not good enough, are all parts of you that you can cherish, and you do not need to rush to fit in with anyone, right?

[Nu] Yes, exactly. There was someone who told me that both the good and bad parts are equally valuable as parts of myself, and I still remember that as a very significant phrase for me.

[Yo] This time, the rule was that the person who wants to speak picks up a "wooden stick" to talk, but this is different from our usual communication, isn't it?

We probably spent about an hour talking, but almost everyone had a chance to talk about themselves, and really, some people just lightly placed their words there, while others placed what they were currently struggling with into the space.

Because we usually base our communication on the premise of "having a response," simply placing words into the space is, conversely, very rare and something we are not used to.

[Nu] As a rule or guideline for the space, I wanted to value the idea that "when someone is speaking, do not give big reactions, say 'that's right,' or 'isn't that wrong,' but just listen intently to that person's story".

However, I think that is an experience rarely found in daily life, so it was a new experience, and I think that simply placing one's own words into that space became a somewhat mysterious time.

[Yo] In communication, we tend to focus on "speaking," but it was a time where I really felt that there are just as many ways to look at or approach "listening."

So, I would be very happy if those of you reading this note could also join us if there is another opportunity.

With that, thank you for listening again today.
Have a wonderful day.

We also provide a space for real-life dialogue once every two months.
Please, let me hear your story as well.