Ode to My Undergrad Experience

I am filled with gratitude for the profound transformation that has taken place through the wide range of experiences made available to me through my Evergreen degree.

Ideas.
Ideas.
Ideas.
Ideas.
Tactile.
Applicable.
Experiential.
Community-based.
Connected.
Motivated.
Understanding.
Real.
Exploring.
Memorizing.
Creating.
Thinking abstract.
Love.
Aliveness.
Research.
Dedication.

Discipline.
Planning.
Organizing.
Outlining.
Ideas.
Ideas.
Ideas.
Ideas.

The realities which are the fabric of this setting represent what I would like to create for myself in the coming years. Here, ideas are allowed to take flight and swirl in the minds of young, idealistic misfits with the container of the academic world holding them accountable for follow-through. Nothing is impossible as long as you know who to talk to, which rules to follow (and which ones are breakable and under what circumstances), and how to connect to the people that are doing what you want to do.

Ultimate freedom,
Within definite boundaries,
A perfect dichotomy that somehow transcends its own.

Criteria that must be met in order to move forward....

A rough outline of ______________ (fill in the blank with whatever your mind desires).

Creativity does not, as I previously had thought, exist only in a painting, colored-pencil sketch, or hand-stitched outfit, assembled with eclectic scraps of material.
Creativity is not just found in an art gallery in the city,
because the whole world is an art gallery!
Every aspect of this life is touched with a piece of yourself, transformed into something different simply because you interacted with it.
Once this is understood, the beauty of each pulsing breath becomes an act of utter divinity,
and life,
a joyfully painful engagement that just is.
Nature manifests this best,
and we are all a part of nature.

My college experience started out as a blank canvas. The canvas was the limitation, yes, but it also provided the space for the vivid painting that now rests upon it, nearing its completion. I thought when I graduated I would hang this proudly on my wall, only to realize that the painting would dissolve and only the memory of the experience of painting it would remain a part of my cells for always.

Not Broken (but I knew that)

"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is her patience."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson



Injuries are our greatest teachers!

It has been one year since I've been able to use my wrist in the ways I have in the past; Pressing, weight bearing, sculpting, digging, carrying, and bending all lead to an achy feeling inside. Practicing all weight bearing yoga postures on my forearms since May, I've had to challenge my desire to "accomplish" postures and instead, find out what yoga truly is, awareness of body and breath.

When teaching yoga, I've wrestled with the challenging of articulating the poses with words, rather than simply offering a visual demonstration. I've had to shed my previous assumption that, as a yoga teacher, I should be able to do everything I teach- not true, not true!

Taking care of the body is important. The most effective way to take care of the body aside from action (pursuing the necessary medical attention) is equanimity. Pain X Resistance = Suffering. Pain X 0 = 0. Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. This wrist injury is, to some extent, the least awkward of some of the ouches I've experienced in this lifetime. It is the perfect opportunity to practice equanimity.

"Forever is composed of nows."

-Emily Dickinson

Philosophy is Still Fun...

Complex and Fascinating Idea

Bigword the bigword bigword a bigword bigword, the bigword bigword bigword bigword bigword bigword bigword. Bigword Big-word, bigword the bigword bigword. The bigword big-word, bigword bigword bigword, bigword bigword bigword, the bigword. Bigword bigword, important date, bigword bigword bigword. Bigword bigword the bigword the bigword. A bigword bigword bigword bigword bigword bigword bigword bigword, big-word bigword, the bigword bigword.

Conclusion:

Let me get my dictionary! (five hours later, the paragraph is translated)

National Coming Out Day

Coming Out =

getting it over with
being honest
being ostracized
introducing my partner
being accepted
being told I'm a sinner


The more I think about the "closet," and the reasons for staying in it, in some instances, I realize that it is not my issue. If you have a problem with it, it's your issue. For me to worry about the consequences of coming out, I'm making your issue my issue.

meh.

School

Thoughts on current adventures in life:

School has started and it is delicious.

We are studying quantum physics, but without the calculations, so it's considered "philosophy of science." We've also been discussing why and how people learn what they learn, and uncovering that it often quite political.

Thinking back to the very beginnings of education, I remember my time working at a preschool with lovely kids and teachers. Many of the rules in place were intended to encourage the kiddos to interact respectfully with one another, and to stay safe. Some of the rules, however, were created to keep chaos from arising. For example, it was not allowed for a child to build a fort using the chairs, scarves, and blocks, because the scarves and blocks were two separate activities (and needed to be played with one at a time), and the chairs stayed at the table. Without these rules, the play areas would be a complete disaster all of the time. It made complete sense, from an adult perspective, but not to the child who wanted to build the fort.

I often wonder how much of my education in the past has been inspired by the desire to make it easier on the teacher and compatible with the systems in place.

It is with much gratitude that I begin this quarter at school. It is time to question everything.

Maine

I've left Maine, and will be finishing up some things at Evergreen. What a wonderful summer!

Belfast, our city/town, has its share of chain stores (even a McDonalds!), but there are lots of cool things about Belfast and Maine in general that set it apart from Anywhere, USA. Here is a little list:


The Mainer accent/pronuncination:

ar, and er, are said with a hard "ahh." One example (heard while garage-sale going), the word "kindergarten," Kindah-gaahh-den. Sounds like the Boston accent/pronunciation to me, but apparently, the "ahh" is rougher sounding here.


Lobster (lobstaah):

Lobster comes from the sea, the sea which is right in our back yards! The road on the way to Acadia was lined with food stands/hot dog stands, all serving lobster-rolls (lobster in a hot-dog bun). I'm sure if I ate lobster, I could tell you more about it, but, believe me, it's everywhere.


The Land:

Wait... what about the land? There is so much to say! There are more trees than there are people. According to wiki, we are ranked 38th in the US in terms of population density. And there isn't one huge urban center. Even if the numbers for Portland and South Portland were combined, there wouldn't be a city in Maine that reaches over 100,000 people.

This both makes Maine beautiful, and different! Our favorite aspect of this? Pristine wilderness is as close as a ten minute drive from the apartment. The things to get used to....? Driving! Although there is a lot going on in Belfast, many events and organizations we'd like to be a part of are all spread out. There isn't a bus system, and I imagine there won't be many bicycles with snow tires on the streets in the dead of winter. I am re-thinking my "I don't want to own a car until my student loans are paid off" status. I'll be in Maine for good after graduating, and will be either stranded or driving.

The forests primarily consist of evergreen trees, and house all sorts of wildlife. We've heard/seen lots of birds- owls, loons, bald eagles, wood thrush, gulls. More on this later, I hope.

Maine's coastline is swirly and curly, full of bays and peninsulas. Belfast is on the coast, but is in a bay. The tides rise and fall, the water salty, but we don't have the rolling waves one might think of with an ocean.

The (Belfast) Community:

.... is still new to us, but we have connected with some great people. There are lots of organic growers, crafters, and people concerned with the environment. Belfast houses the largest food-coop in Maine, and there are lots of fun events, like artswalk and wine tasting, that are free to the public. Also... people like wilderness trips! Maine is one of the few states that require a guiding license for those who want to lead wilderness expeditions. Everyone we meet seems to have this qualification.

The tourists:

A summertime survey of parked cars will reveal that every third license plate is not from Maine. The visitors are mainly New Englanders, with occasional visitors from states more southern. Because of this, art shops are able to exist selling their fancy expensive things, and restaurant and bed and breakfast owners are happier. I'm curious to know what things are like in the winter (which is quite long).


That is all for now!