Twenty years ago today, on 21st April 2001, Dr. Richard Strozzi- Heckler awarded me the certificate of Master Somatic Coach at the dojo in Petaluma, California. Those moments which seem frozen in time? Well, this was one. Another was the day I picked up his anthology from Keplers in Menlo Park, to which I had contributed a chapter (Being Human at Work: bringing somatic intelligence into your professional life, 2003). I could hardly believe my name in print then, and it’s no less surprising to see it again on the cover of my own book now. That he wrote the foreword to Love & Imperfection felt deeply honouring, substantiating his long-ago assessment of me, that I embodied recovery.
I did not know then that my kindergarten sweetheart would track me down in Palo Alto, six thousand miles away. I did not know then that we would be married soon thereafter and I would move from my beloved California to the land of my birth, from which I’d escaped in 1987. So much water, so many bridges.
Having seen Richard in a couple of Zoom classes lately and in acknowledgement of this important anniversary, memories of my life in California have been called forth, especially the many hours spent training to be a somatic coach at Strozzi Institute. I’ve also been recalling the astonishing depth of the work we did together, the many people I connected with, the profound influence his work has had on and in my life. I feel privileged to have had all those opportunities, and profound gratitude to Richard.
That’s it. No words of wisdom, suggestions for what to read or an invitation to connect, just a heartfelt acknowledgement for this precious day.
Thank you Richard.