I brought the Touchstone Journey activity to our team meeting as an ice breaker. We always start our meetings with a connection activity, so it felt natural to use the A Window Between Worlds curriculum activities with my team of five. I grabbed paper, markers, scissors, colored pencils, and stickers, making sure each team member had their own materials readily available. At first, I was a little nervous about introducing what felt like a vulnerable activity in a professional setting. However, I invited participants to meet their own needs in whichever way would best support them, regardless of the activity, a permission slip approach I learned in the A Window Between Worlds Facilitator Training, which has been very helpful.

Initially, the team felt a little awkward. A few people said they weren’t “artistic” and were hesitant. However, once we shared positive affirmations and reassurance that there was no need to be artistic, team members began thinking about what they were moving from and what they were moving toward. I noticed the energy in the room shift. Team members grew quieter, more reflective. Once they started, they didn’t stop writing or drawing until they finished. On one side of the touchstones, people wrote things like overwhelm, self-doubt, worrier, and fear of being seen. On the other side, they wrote balance, peace, calm, and growth. Then, in the smaller circles provided at the bottom of the handout, they drew all the steps that would help them get there. Seeing it all laid out made the internal experience feel real and created space for honest conversation about how demanding life can be and how intentionality can go a long way when taking care of ourselves.

What really stood out was how quickly it deepened our connection. We weren’t talking about tasks, expectations, or logistics; we were talking about growth, capacity, and what we need to keep doing for ourselves to continue showing up well. Since then, I’ve noticed little things: some people keep their touchstones at their desks, and they’ve asked me to forward the activity so they can spend intentional time doing it at their own pace, since we often run out of time during meetings. It reminded me that reflection doesn’t have to be so complicated, sometimes, all it takes is a little time and one handout to start the conversation.