Fristo Retires
Hi Fristo, we hear you are retiring. Tell us more about what you mean by retiring!
Q: What do you mean by you are retiring?
Fristo: It is simple. I am retiring from 7cups. I have been very active on 7cups, especially in the last many months, it is my time to retire. I have new commitments in my off-cups life that demand and deserve my most of time and energy, if not all my time and energy.
Q: Does it mean you'd disappear from 7cups altogether?
Fristo: I wish I could. But that won't be possible for me, given the love I have felt and expressed for the community over the period of my stay. So I'd still be seen occasionally but won't be committed to any role whatsoever.
Q: What about the Living with Leaders interviews, would you still be posting them?
Fristo: I might! But as I said, no commitment anymore. I might or might not. The interviews have been happening once a week since October start of last year without a break, but now these interviews would be occasional and might stop happening altogether too at some point unless someone else might like to take over the project.
Q: Would you be available to help with the Peer Appreciation Project you led?
Fristo: My project agents and team members have been awesome and I know they will continue to do awesome. I'd be happy to offer my suggestions when I am around, but there is no guarantee of how frequently I'd be around.
Q: What are your wishes for the community?
Fristo: May we use the 7cups space for exploring, developing, and expressing kindness in us. When you do that, that is when 7cups is at its best for you. More than you look to be served, look to serve. More than you expect to receive, give. The same applies to life in general.
Q: What 7cups gave you?
Fristo: It gave me a platform where I could serve through the simple and powerful act of active listening. I am going to carry the active listening tool to all my ventures in life. Active listening is a powerful message for the world in itself. May this message get louder and clearer through the efforts of this wondrous community.
Q: Would you like to share with us what would deserve your energy off-cups?
Fristo: I am a teacher and I would be busy making lessons and taking classes. I feel in doing so lies my best potential for the world. I teach not only a subject, but via the subject, I teach good conduct and character. Because the education of living well is the education that truly and lastingly matters.
Q: Anything else?
Fristo: If you ever miss me, take a moment to do a small act of kindness, which could be as simple as offering someone a smile emoji (or an actual smile if you are meeting in person) along with greeting them well. Put aside your personal sorrows for a moment and wish someone well.
Q: Would you be completely back at 7cups any day in the future?
Fristo: If I feel inspired enough, then a big yes! Wherever I am, I need to believe that I am living the best of my soul and energy. So when I am at a place, I look to turn things upside down and make a heaven come true in that place. I don't know to live any way else but to be a revolution. Maybe if another day I believe again I have much more to serve at 7cups than what little I could, I'd happily offer my days and nights to it again.
Living with Leaders Tag-list: @Dallady @HealingTalk @SkylarListens @ThoughtfulBlossom @Zarram77
Add/remove yourself from the above tag-list by posting here
Peer Appreciation Team: @bubblingBreeze14 @Sunisshiningandsoareyou @GloriaD @WarmLightXO @rrretsuko @Reemhelpp @GoldenRuleJG @crang17 @funnyZebra5328 @mamtasha22 @MelodyoftheOcean @anjellyna @asilentbunny @gentleFox20 @Stevie1 @TheRusticMystic74
This interview is part of the Living with Leaders Interview Series. Learn about the series here
@Fristo
Namaste Sir Fristo! 🙏
Been a while, but why are you retiring!!!???
Okay, putting that aside, I just wanted to say a big thank you for everything you've done for the cups and the rooms here. I saw you grow from being a listener in our old cup days to taking so many roles and responsibilities and doing them right!
Although we haven't seen each other in a long in Listener rooms, it was always good to have you there, and I will miss your presence AND questions when I visit them.
However, I am glad you have discovered a better method to utilize your abilities, and I am confident you will succeed wherever you go, just like you did here.
It was great meeting you on this journey of cups, and I've always enjoyed our exchanges here. You are a beautiful soul, and keep sharing that around! 🌱
Wishing you all the very best in your future pursuits, whether in your personal life or in your teaching career. Keep shining! ✨💖
Leaving a few lines from one of my favorite poems as the end goal is still the same....
" मदिरालय जाने को घर से चलता है पीनेवला,
'किस पथ से जाऊँ?' असमंजस में है वह भोलाभाला,
अलग-अलग पथ बतलाते सब पर मैं यह बतलाता हूँ -
'राह पकड़ तू एक चला चल, पा जाएगा मधुशाला। " 🐾
Hoping to see you around again someday again :)
Warm Regards,
Dia 🌺
@Fristo
Dear Fristo,
I wish this was some other scenario where I would go like "Fristoooooooooooooooo! 💙" I honestly don't know what to say, haha. This might come as a huge shock because I never imagined that I would across a day where Fristo would be making a post like this. I might have imagined various listener friends of mine leaving at some point but never did I think of you, maybe because I'm used to seeing you bring lots of development and spreading kindness here?
As much as this saddens me, I'm so glad to hear you are focusing on your real-life commitments, they indeed deserve your attention and I wish you all the best wishes and success to them. 💙
I don't think I can imagine a 7 cups, or the forums or the peer appreciation or the LSR or the LCR without a Fristo.
You have so much here, that it can't be justified through words. Fristo is a beautiful and wonderful part of 7 cups that I will forever remember as long as I'm here and even after I leave cups. You leave a significance behind your name and I'm so so so proud of you. 😊
Fristo, thank you so much for everything you have done here, and all those interactions I had with you, I'm going to cherish them in my memories and will wish and hope to still talk to you in future. My compliments for you might never stop, haha. You are very kind and sweet, I think you already know that!
I'm so so so grateful that I met you, and that I know a person in my life who's so awesome. Thank you so much. And at times if you can, please do drop by my pms, it would make me happy, haha.
At this point, I'm barely able to control my tears, but no crying! I have an exam tomorrow, smh smh. I wish you and your family all kinds of happiness, good health, strength and safety. *hugs hugs*
Take care, Fristo.
Love, Starla (Shreya) 💙
Ps: A cookie for you. 🍪
@Fristo
Sending you a biiig smile! 💜
Thank you for all the work you did here on 7 cups. I wish you all the best for your future as a teacher as well as everywhere else.
Take care!
audienta
@Fristo
Wait what?
I can not believe it.
You are like the life force of Cups Fristo. I am so sorry I saw this post so late! From your post, I can take comfort in knowing that you are not gone forever. :) I don't know what caused this but take care of yourself Fristo! You will surely be missed whenever you are not here.
@Fristo
FRISTO!
Thank you so much for your effort! What a shining light you're to the world. I bless you in the name above all names Jesus Christ/God (I'm a Christian). And what you say "and make a heaven come true in that place" - exactly the same prayer the Lord teaches us: "Let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven"!
From Helga.
@Fristo
wishing you all the luck and happiness in life Fristo! thank you for everything that you've done for all of us! <3
@Fristo things would be different with you not around! wishing you the best with everything in life ❤️
flowers for you!
@Fristo Self-care and finding balance is always important. I wish you the best in pursuing all your goals and know that your continued presence in the community will be much appreciated, role or not since your leadership will continue to lift others up! Thank you for all that you do ❤️ Please stay in touch during your visits - my butterfly garden will always have a warm cup of tea for you to hopefully enjoy and check-in with!
@Fristo Fristooooooo! It's hard to say well done for putting yourself first and ensuring you get great self-care without sounding patronizing, but it is a huge decision and I know that you will have taken a lot of time and thought before making it.
I hope you do pop in and say hello in my PM's. Your pupils are all very lucky and they will be the ones that benefit now!
Take Care ❤️
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@Fristo
Hi Fristo! 😊❤️ *sighs* Well, must admit, this one hurts! *ouch*
I guess there is an old saying "don't know what you got, until it's gone". Your absence from being here in the community as often, I imagine will be felt by many. I'm sensing a huge ripple effect coming.
I respect you and I respect your reasons for doing so. I can only tell myself that this is a higher calling for you, your students need you more, the universe needs you more as it has seen your greatness just as I have! The one compensatory factor in all of this for me personally, is that you will still be here with us and you aren't leaving us entirely. I am most grateful! ❤️
Great segway.......gratitude.....
Thank you for everything you have done for the community! Thank you for creating change in a positive direction!
I have truly enjoyed reading your Leadership Interviews and we have all benefited from your well thought out questions that seem to be custom tailored to each individual. I feel like it's because you took the time to get to know each and every one of us as human beings! 😊❤️
Thank you for creating the Peer Appreciation Project! Wow! This has truly been after my own heart as well, as I believe in giving others positive affirmations, giving credit where credit is due. I call it "catch me being good" and to see someone doing the right thing, commending the behavior shows each of us the best way to perform and there is a higher propensity for the behavior to be repeated. ❤️
I do believe you also created another project. I don't recall the name of it but If I remember, it's an area for (a link) for community members to directly leave messages for administration for great ideas they may have. This seems to have much value and you got traction in that way also!
I'm guessing there are many many more things that you have done for the community at large that none of us may be privy too.
I'd like to show you my gratitude and thank you also on a more deep and personal level, teammate to teammate. These are my feelings, my perceptions. These are ways in which you have treated me as a human being that others weren't able to see as it was 1-1 😊❤️😊.
Fristo, thank you for "seeing" me! For me, in the past, lack of a higher order badge did not thwart you in the least from seeing value in me. This is exhibiting one of the core values of 7 cups. *7 cups believes in equality* I guess over time you saw me from across the room in the LSR and maybe thought that "hey, maybe this little gal might be on to something around here" lol!
I had so many amazing moments with you via pm! ❤️ I loved our brainstorming sessions and was truly honored that you would even ask for my thoughts, opinions, links, bookmarks any type of information at all for you to take into consideration! This for me is truly the sign of a great leader! Someone who surrounds themselves with a wide set of highly diverse and intelligent people! Thank you for never underestimating me! It's how I am as well! I underestimate the power of none of us here on this platform!
Thank you for also "seeing" me publicly in the rooms! For calling an "Ace an Ace and a Spade a Spade". Thank you for being kind to me, for saying wonderful things to me publicly just as I do for others! You, so many times positively reinforced my good behavior as I do for others! (Yup, works on me too, works like a charm! Weeeeeeee Weeeeeeeee! 😊) haha You have many times filled up the "cup" for me as I was consistently filling it up for our other teammates! ❤️ Unbeknownst to you, you have been a part of my daily gratitude moments on so very many occasions!
As an educator and as my teammate I'll share my gift to you today in the form of a quote. "I am a part of all that I have met". This quote is by Tennyson from the book "Ulysses". For me it means that all humans are shaped by a combination of all of life's experiences. I feel in my heart that some of your greatness "rubbed off on me" and that some of the things I have to offer around here "rubbed off on you" as well! 😊😊😊 I think the pair of us both learned, grew and developed even more as people because of it! Grateful for the moments spent with you! ❤️
As an aside, in an effort to make you laugh, trying to read the book "Ulysses" many years ago, was the book that made me change my mindset of ...if you start to read a book, then you must finish it. Nopie, nope, nope and more nope! I met my match with that book, it's my arch nemesis as it was just wayyyyyyy too hard to follow! lol But at least I have that wonderful quote to draw from!
I'll apologize to the rest of the community for such a long forum post response. Feel free to skip over it if you like. I'll never apologize for showing care, respect and gratitude for a fellow teammate though! Yup, Fristo! This one is for you! *high fives* 😊 big *hugs* ❤️ and stay great my friend! 😊