(Disclaimer: I’m tired, I want to go home, I found a yellow jacket nest attached to the building I sleep in a few days ago, and my work ethic up and left a week ago. So, please forgive me if I am in less than ideal writing frame of mind and thus write somewhat less than usual.)
After our spring break trip to New Orleans, each Bonner was supposed to write a reflection about the trip. My reflection was to tell a story about one of the people whose house we had worked on. I got an email a few days latter telling me I hadn’t written a “reflection” but had instead produced a “recollection.”
My mistake was in thinking that relating a thought provoking experience could be considered a reflection in and of itself. Although part of me wants to say that telling the story should provoke reflection on the part of the reader, I understand that Bonner wants me to take a step back and do some thinking about my experiences. The complication, however, comes in the fact that some experiences are easier to reflect about than others. For example, the man in New Orleans who had had his windows boarded up with a nail gun is easier to reflect on than seemingly endless hours of weed eating. Even more complicating is the fact that I tend to reflect on things that I think about, and weed eating and putting out coffee grounds and puttying windows and most of the other work I do here puts me into at kind of Zen state (which leads to a whole other set of interesting questions, is not thinking spiritually beneficial if you’re not thinking about not thinking?).
So, to answer Jessica’s question in response to my first blog post, I think it may be possible to reflect on demand, but it would require more attention than I’ve been paying, or having a different set of exciting circumstances. Finding yellow jacket nests is exciting and memorable, but doesn’t lend itself to reflection.
1 comment:
I think it's possible to reflect on command. It may be a different kind of reflection than the minor epiphany that miraculously visits you when you're least expecting it, but it is possible. I see it sort of like an art assignment: Lots of people resist structure in art classes, claiming it inhibits the "creative flow." But in my opinion, it's structures, boundaries, and assignments that force the student to be creative. Example: If someone suggests that you draw a house, what's to stop you from just pulling a few lines together to create the "house" symbol you mastered in kindergarten? On the other hand, if someone asks you to represent a house without lines and only two colors, you have to dig a little to come up with something; the end result will be more interesting.
Maybe the problem facing you now is that you don't have enough structure. What if you asked yourself a specific question at the end of the day, or the week, and worked from there? Like... Who benefits from today's work? or What kinds of people (i.e. leading what lifestyles) could practically incorporate any of these habits into their lives? or How do I feel about the yellow jackets (and what does that say about the state of the farm, the local ecosystem, and/or my priorities)? you know. then you just ramble on...
I'm a little tired and homesick myself, so I do empathize, friend of mine. Good luck!
:o)
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