Etch, Fetch, Stretch. Expanding an idea

Only $0.01 on Amazon.com! Robert Townsend author.

No this isn’t a sales pitch, it’s what you might pay for “The B2 Chronicles: Uncommon wisdom for un-corporate America OR How not to butt heads with the next generation” B2 stands for Beavis and Butthead, but that’s not what captured my attention, the notion of Fetchwork and Stretchwork did.

Fetchwork is the work we all do that fetches us an income.
Stretchwork is the work we do to move out of our comfort zone or that stretches us to new places.

I like the concept and am expanding it with etch and sketch work.



Etchwork which is the stuff that lets us etch out our path in either fetch or stretch work, it’s the every day stuff that we need to get done in order to function. For example it’s the banking, books, invoicing, it’s also the clearing of the clutter (the voicemail, email and snailmail that has to be sorted out, filed, dealt with in order to keep things flowing). It’s like a river that carves the landscape, changing and meandering based on the elements that it’s affected by; how hard the land is, how much precipitation that year, the human impact and folly. It includes the notion that what we become is based on what we do. It includes our values, actions, beliefs and experiences. It’s the great crevasses and landscapes that are formed, our legacy, how others view us and how we see ourselves, our presence.

Sketchwork is our choice and power, the way we create our path influenced by all of the other three. We can become what we sketch or sketch work can be sketchy, just like when the board is shaken and all the lines disappear. Sketchwork is our ability to lay out a path, the outcome of how we do that is the fetch, stretch and etch work.

So What?

Fetch & Stretch work - If we spend too much of our time in any one of these areas does it matter?
Books, research, individuals, communities all have varying opinions on this, on the one hand balance has been sought after and is seen as the be all end all, on the other, the argument that equilibrium is the least stable state of all is reflected in ecological principles.

Etch & Sketch work - The latest trend for work/life satisfaction is captured on the bookshelf with hoards of books on ways to live your passion, find work that is your life source, following the path that you were meant to, and finding or creating your dream job. Is it a bunch of huey?
Did you hear about the latest dream job advertised by Australia Tourism? The Queensland tourism group is offering a six month contract at a salary of A$150,000 for a person to act as a caretaker on an island in the Great Barrier Reef and they billed it as “The Best Job in the World” In the World, Whoa!

Fetch & Stretch, Let me know how you would expand on it.

Visit me at www.4excellence.ca

a tale of two

Yoga, gotta go, get there, fill the water bottle, change, stretch, move, hold, breathe, let the chatter dissipate, breathe, move, hold, sweat.

Traffic is roaring, and OH NO another red light. Waiting. Check blackberry, no messages. That meeting, what was he thinking? News, not another shooting, change the channel, advertisement, talking, music, where’s the music? No not love songs, ahh an oldie, nope not in the mood for, more news, where’s that remote? Body language, when did people loose interest? The board room was so stuffy, and how about the looks, the discussion…oop blackberry falls, fumble to recover it, “Hello…yes, I’ll get to that right after lunch, appointments all afternoon but I’ll fit it in…ya no time to waste on those who aren’t on board…have to make this happen by the end of the week.” Finally, just another couple of blocks, hope there’s a parki…I’ll have to run, grab the bag, where’s my water bottle…just leave it, drink from the tap. Better be a spot open, there’s one, no. Aha, here’s one. Grab, run, traffic, stairs, cut across the street. Shoes off, change, gotta go, no toilet paper, wash hands, oooo fresh flowers, scent of the studio, squeeze in here. “Hi”…outta breath, time to start, who’s teaching? Where is she? Want to get started, breathe, focus, stretch, a kink where did that come from? Ahh more people, quiet chatter, smells what is that? Always smells the same, fresh, familiar, breathe. Begin.


Yoga, sun’s shining, can feel it. Mmmm warmth, peace.

Traffic flows like geese on a spring day gliding from south to north, catching drafts and currents unseen by the naked eye, detouring and landing where the terrain guides, contributing to the energy of the community. Breathe. Dialogue around the table, many forces at work reflected in the music of voice. Music, music of choice, what will it be, today a symphony of blackrock blues, is that a ukulele, a fiddle? Funny, ha! there’s always a spot to slide into just a little further away. Mat, water, presence. Outside the church bells ring, listen turn and see the vibration in the air, stop in the midst of a slow thoughtful walk…Oh, oh, she’s running, ahh to class. What is that song? Familiar, chiming bells, the sky is so full of fresh nothingness, it’s complete, smiles, deep breath. Transcend, up the stairs, across the bridge, moving from earth to sky back to earth. Eyes connect, smile, a gentle nod, “Namaste.” Warmth in the air, breathe in the familiar fresh aroma, welcome. Gratitude, prepare, breathe, be. Begin.


Breathe, begin…

One comes naturally, one requires intention. Which is which?