Tiny Weekend Roundup #3
Welcome to the Tiny Weekend roundup.
This is where I share links and ideas sparked by the themes in my letters to my daughters—books I’m loving, things I’m learning, shifts I’m making at home and work, and little experiments you might want to try too.
April's theme has been about creating community. In case you missed it, you can catch up here:
The roots that sustain usLucy Hardy·14 April 2025Read full story
Are we in harmony? My new favourite question.
I came across two ideas this month that changed the way I think about relationships—especially in groups like families, teams, or communities.
The first one was from Nicole LePera (you might know her as The Holistic Psychologist on Instagram). She wrote:
“If your home is a place of peace, you’ve broken the cycle.”
It made me pause. We often hear about creating a happy home, but aiming for peace makes more sense to me. Expecting constant joy from a family is a lot to ask. But peace? Peace feels possible. It’s the feeling of safety and reliability. And if we can build that, then I think we’re on the right track.
The second idea came from a book I’ve been reading this month, Joyfully Together: The Art of Building a Harmonious Community:
”Being in harmony does not mean that we do not disagree or make mistakes and miss opportunities to understand one another. It means that we are doing our best and there is no division or split within the Sangha…Harmony is our daily practice; it is our most essential practice.”
I was reading all of this during an intense few weeks: work was hectic, my partner was away, we were in the middle of a messy home renovation (that also meant moving out temporarily), both my kids had birthdays and parties, there was family drama… oh, and the to-do list of life didn’t exactly stop. Tensions were rising in our house, and I could feel myself slipping into survival mode.
That's when I realised I'd fallen right back into the hamster wheel of busy-ness.
So, instead of asking myself, "How do we push through this?” I started asking: "How do we find harmony?”
Harmony isn't about everything being frictionless and perfect. Just look at nature—ecosystems thrive not because conflict disappears, but because diverse elements find balance. Ocean waves crash against cliffs, creating tide pools teeming with life. Forest fires clear deadwood, making way for new growth. Bees compete for resources while collectively pollinating entire landscapes.
Harmony accommodates necessary disruption. It's dynamic and co-creative, not static. It’s alive. It requires everyone's contribution and results in something greater than any individual part.
So I found myself wondering: What if I treated my family more like a little community, with harmony as our guide?
Maybe we could make decisions together, not just top-down from us parents. Maybe we could split up household stuff based on what energises us, not just based on habits or age. For example, My 7-year-old loves setting the table. I absolutely dread midweek cooking—but my partner doesn’t mind it. And maybe every Sunday, we could do a quick “check-in” where each of us shares where we felt in or out of balance during the week.
What if workplaces did this too and consciously organised themselves around harmony? What if, instead of asking “How do we work more efficiently?”, we asked, “How could we work more harmoniously?” The answers (and the results) would be different.
So, here’s an invitation: Where is there disharmony in your circles right now? Where does energy consistently drain rather than flow?
Start there. That's your harmony opportunity.
📚 Reading
Books I’ve been reading this month
- Joyfully Together by Thich Nhat Hanh is my current read, inspired by my Plum Village visit two years ago. Perfect timing as we start to build our own community (more above ☝️)! Though focused on Buddhist Sangha building, its practical wisdom can work for all community types.
- There are so many good books out there related to building community and relationships. Here are some that I’ve added to my reading list this month:
- What gems am I missing? Hit reply with your recommendations!
“Someone who does not have the capacity to build the Sangha will not be able to help the world, because if we do not have the Sangha to support us, we cannot do much”
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Joyfully Together
🌱 Noticing
What’s catching my attention
- How a “stoop coffee” tradition transformed a neighbourhood. I'm inspired to try it! ☕️🪑
- True reciprocity isn't an exchange of equal value - that’s a transaction. Instead, think of Reciprocity as relational responsibility (Thanks, Sabrina Meherally!)
- "Regeneration is working the way nature works, AND it’s really as simple as: living truly as yourself - authentic, embodied, continual embracement of this transformative adventure called ‘Life’…a journey of becoming who you truly are, in serving life”. I love this description by Giles Hutchins because it captures both the ecological wisdom of regeneration and its connection to personal transformation.
- Nature’s principles of Harmony and how to apply them in education (and beyond!).
💡 Switching
Small changes I’m making at home
- I’ve been experimenting with the way I buy clothes for our family. I’ve shifted the bulk of my spending to Vinted, only buying kids' clothes with what I earn selling outgrown items on the platform. Less waste + less spending - closed loop! 🙌
🤓 Working
Things I’m trying out at work
- I’ve been thinking about how to foster a community of practice for content development in my workplace. The Community development handbook is proving a useful guide.
- As I learn more about the value of community, I keep coming back to this question: how do we design for relationships, not just outcomes? Systems mapping techniques can help to visualise organisational dynamics and relationality and highlight intervention points. In general, I’ve found that thinking from the perspective of the organisation as an ecosystem can be a useful unlock in perspective.
🤸♀️ May’s tiny challenge
An invitation to practice
This month’s challenge is about nurturing community and connection where you live. Here are some ideas you can try:
- Meet your neighbours and maybe start that stoop coffee tradition!
- You don’t have to be the organiser. Get involved with an existing local group, even if only for a one-off event.
- Or, if you’re feeling more ambitious, you could start a seasonal walking group - meeting with friends or family every 6-8 weeks to explore local spaces through the seasons.
None of this needs to be complicated—just informal, authentic, and local.
Love, Lucy
P.S. In June, I’ll be attending Content Rising at the Millennium Seed Bank, UK. Will you be there too? If yes, let me know by replying to this email, and we can meet!