I CARE: when stopping is the first act of care
In a time that constantly pushes us to keep running, stopping becomes almost a revolutionary act.
This is the reflection that gave life to the I CARE TownHall “When self-care becomes collective value”, held on May 25th in the Secret Gardens of Villa Marcello Marinelli in Cison di Valmarino (Treviso).
A day built around a question as simple as it is profound: “When was the last time you truly stopped?”
Among paths, stones, light and shadow, in the presence of a 163-year-old horse chestnut tree, the VDA Telkonet team experienced a day dedicated to the truest meaning of I CARE: self-care as the foundation of collective care. Guided by Lucia Ziliotto, Group People, Culture & Organization Manager, and Andrea Bariselli, psychologist and neuroscientist, the team explored the themes of presence, listening and the automatisms that so often drive our days relentlessly forward.
Each person received a symbolic card inspired by the elements of the garden — the nest, the stone, the leaf, the rose, the path, the light and the shadow — transforming the natural setting into a space for individual and collective reflection. Through journaling, personification exercises and moments of open sharing, the team paused to observe the way each person experiences their work, their relationships and their presence with one another.
Simple, yet essential questions:
How do I make people feel when they work with me?
What trace am I leaving in the spaces I inhabit?
Which automatisms should we have the courage to let go of?
This is where the meaning of I CARE begins: in remembering that care is not something abstract.
It is attention.
It is presence.
It is the way we choose to be with ourselves, with others and in the spaces we inhabit every day.
