As a young father, I struggled to balance my work and family life. Growing up, I saw parents who were present and engaged with their children, and I knew that’s the kind of parent I wanted to be. When my son Charley was born in 1998, I was determined to be a father and husband who came home tired but still showed up in force for my family.
At the time, I was also opening my first restaurant, WaterCourse Foods in Denver, CO. I was a new husband, a new father, and a new business owner, with high expectations of myself in all arenas. To manage the transition from work to family life, I developed a threshold ritual – donning an apron to signal my transition from family to work mode, and removing it to signal my transition back to family mode.
This threshold ritual helped me keep my work and family life distinct throughout my career. Eventually, I sold my businesses and pursued a new career as a nature-connected life coach. This training prepared me for my work as a facilitator at MEA, where I help individuals connect with nature and themselves.
One of the tools we use at MEA is the concept of threshold moments. A threshold moment is a deliberate act that marks the transition from one state of being to another. For me, passing between two adobe homes on the Rising Circle Ranch is my threshold moment, signaling my transition from the demands of daily life to the dynamic, high-touch world of MEA.
Bill Plotkin, a depth psychologist and wilderness guide, also uses threshold moments to help individuals connect with nature. He suggests creating a physical threshold, such as a stick across the path or a gate to walk through, to denote the transition from the default world to a world of wonder and awe.
By creating a threshold moment, we can intentionally leave behind the distractions and demands of daily life and enter a new realm with an open heart, clear mind, and no agenda. This allows us to connect more deeply with nature, ourselves, and others.
At MEA, we’ve introduced several cohorts to the concept of threshold moments, and the results have been transformative. Even the most skeptical individuals have reported feeling a deeper connection to nature and themselves after creating a threshold moment.
Where can you create a threshold moment in your life? What deliberate act can you take to mark the transition from one state of being to another? By creating a threshold moment, you can intentionally leave behind the distractions and demands of daily life and enter a new realm with an open heart, clear mind, and no agenda.
-DL
Daniel ‘DL’ Landes is an author, facilitator and frequency healing practitioner with experience in guiding individuals and groups towards deeper connections with themselves, others, and the natural world. DL brings a spirit of play, and wonder to his work.