Some of my classmates posted comments on their blogs that may at first seem unrelated but both have been stirring in my head. Mark Anthony wrote about Natural Children at http://marnature.blogspot.com/2009/03/natural-children.html . He was commenting on another classmate’s blog, Amanda at http://agorecki85.blogspot.com/ and so the circle continues. Both were talking about the healing power of nature and how children are drawn to the outdoors. It was a special place for many of us as we were growing up. It remains a healing, calming place for us still. Becca at http://backyardtransliteration.blogspot.com/2009/03/backyard-healing.html was running away from her nature essays that weren’t cooperating and found singing birds and a little peace in her backyard and then shared it with us. Then Johnny at http://johnny-borderlands.blogspot.com/2009/03/great-circular-route.html posted about “the great circular route” and that perhaps we are breathing air breathed by Julius Ceasar. We just had a visiting geologist/ literature lecturer at The University of Texas at El Paso who said that scientists have discovered that the very same dust that blows away from El Paso in our stupendous dust storms has been found in the Hebrides. They have done extensive research and analysis and our El Paso dust actually travels halfway around the world.
I thought about how nature, and this class, is connecting all of us who would not otherwise have met. We will meet in August at the Chatham residency but we already know things about each other that we have shared in our writings. In our discussion boards we recently read Leslie Marmon Silko who talked about inclusion and being a part of a greater whole. We are all connected. There are people who have not yet seen that connection but that doesn’t mean that they are not connected to each other and to us. That is happening to all of us right now if we will just pause, breathe and be aware.
Be in the moment.
March 24, 2009
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2 comments:
As a child our backyard was my complete world and sanctuary and I have lost some of my connection and wonder. This class is reminding me of that, and Pam’s blog (The Healing Power) has done so as well.
It’s amazing to think about the dust of El Paso traveling halfway around the world. One of the things that struck me in some of the pieces we read (Refuge definitely comes to mind), is the migratory paths of birds and how far they travel. All things on earth are in a constant motion and pattern, and are interconnected, yet it's interesting how many people don't sense this. I think many people feel disconnection and separation, and generalize it to their experience of the planet as well. As if what’s going on in another country is not really related to them. No doubt if we realized how incredibly connected we all are we would be more committed to our communities and our relationship to nature.
I too am looking forward to the residency this August and to meeting all of the classmates who have impacted me through this class. Ironically, when I read your closing lines, Pam, I’m reminded of my blog which I posted moments ago. It was all about mindfulness and gratefulness as well. It was a lesson in being present, courtesy of my dog.
I am even more hopeful, after reading your words, that I can make it back up to Pittsburgh for some of the residency!
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