Musings from reading, practice and discussion and of course, Life
Chambers calls on us to “write with the blood of an actual life.”. She quotes Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith who said; “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and open up a vein”. Like Chambers, “Sometimes I am afraid I will bleed to death” (2009 in Hasebe-Ludt, Chambers & Leggo 2009 p.g. 85)
My Journal is a place where I post ideas and questions, quotes from the readings that resonate with me, videos that have grabbed at my heart strings or stimulated discussion. I have pondered on teachings by the lecturers and guest speakers. I have contemplated discussions in the classes. But it has evolved into more than this. Over time, it has become apparent that academic life and personal life can not be separated. And so it has become a place where I reflect upon what is happening in my life and write my truth.
Please go ahead and read my journey, my Currere.
“You may begin, and I almost want to say this is like a Buddha warning label on being present, is that you may begin to re-evaluate and re-interrogate what actually matters to you and find that some of the locations that you are in and some of the things that you have gotten caught up with, in terms of thinking that's the thing what you have to pursue or that's the thing you have to get. That might shift for you as you become more present. The very interesting thing is though, that in whatever way it shifts for you, that's actually an organic shift of you choosing to be more of who you are. And so you become more of who you are and your sense of values and alignment with those values become more at the forefront.”
Reverend Angel Kyodo Williams, Sensei, author, activist, Founder of Center for Transformative Change speaks at the Mindful Leadership Conference, March 11th 2017.
"If something inside you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write towards vulnerability. Don't worry about appearing sentimental. Worry about being unavailable; worry about being absent or fraudulent. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you're a writer, you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act - truth is always subversive" Anne Lamott (1995) Bird by Bird: Some instructions on writing and life