What do Kelly and Phoebe\u2019s posts have
\nin common (besides their excellent taste in poetry)? Both focus on the
\nimportance of forgetting oneself. They both speak of the necessity of all
\npeople to lay down their lives for the betterment of others. Phoebe grounds
\nherself in admiration of the earth worm\u2019s capability to live entirely to make
\nroom for roots and other underground critters to pass through. Reading it, I
\nfelt undeserving to have acquainted with such a creature. It\u2019s the same feeling
\none gets when they realize the person they just laughed at was the one who left
\nthem a posy of flowers on their desk. A longing was stirred up within me, that
\nI might be worthy enough to live a life underground and the service of others.
\nThe question that comes to mind is \u201cHow? How do you do this and how can I do
\nthis too\u201d. Kelly, on the other hand, asks \u201cWHY\u201d. His frustration is one of
\nthose emotions that affects everyone who comes into contact with it. It isn\u2019t
\njust a self-centered spiral of sickly sweet disgust. It is an electric current
\nthat makes me frustrated as well. At first I was frustrated with Kelly for
\nbringing this up. \u201cWhy,\u201d I asked \u201cWhy does he waste his time saying what
\neveryone has heard before?\u201d That\u2019s not the point. Kelly, at least, has enough
\ncourage to ask such a bold question that challenges the way he thinks. I, once
\nagain, find myself shying away from expansion of perspective.<\/p>\n
I love to challenge myself physically, but
\nfind the mental frontier a much more difficult border to cross though. I have
\nseen this demonstrate itself in my studies & my personal life. I never ask
\nquestions, I just observe, accept, and understand. This observance comes into
\nplay in the way I interact with the world. I interact and cherish what I do understand
\nand don\u2019t worry about what I don\u2019t. But I have realized, after recently
\ninterviewing next year\u2019s Lodgers, I am not really pushing myself in the ways I
\nwanted to when I applied a year ago. I applied last year because I wanted to
\nchallenge myself both physically and mentally. I wanted to be more excited at the
\nthought of spending days in the woods without a proper toilet. I wanted to be
\nable to shift my focus from down within me and my reactions to the world, and
\nout to how the world is reacting with itself. I knew that Earth Lodge had a
\nreputation for being a place where people not only were aware of the issues in
\nthe earth, but combined that with a passion for spending time in the outdoors. I
\ndecided to apply this practically by letting my friends drag me up and down the
\nShenandoah Valley National Park for a week.<\/p>\n
I had no uggs; no toilets; no chocolate\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026Okay, there was some chocolate! I had a great time. I also
\nhave some really horrifying stories from that trip that I still haven\u2019t told
\nanyone about! Not even people who were with me at the time! It was really
\nchallenging. Physically, I wasn\u2019t prepared to ramble about on the side of a
\nmountain for days on end. Emotionally I wasn\u2019t prepared to deal with the
\nconflicts that were arising as we forged rivers and battled poison ivy. And I
\nwasn\u2019t prepared for the challenging of trusting my friends to lead me properly.
\nCeleste, having spent considerable time meandering about in Alaska, naturally
\nwas our trip leader. But, being my best friend, I found it difficult to listen
\nto her as an authority on the subject of survival. So I observed, tried to
\naccept, and didn\u2019t understand. What I should have done was ask \u201cwhy\u201d. Instead,
\nI got frustrated and focused on something I knew would make me happy,
\ndiscovering natural marvels all around me. No one suffered from this decision
\nexcept for me, but it was in direct contrast to everything I wanted to be doing
\nin that season. Instead of pushing for mental extension, I let myself settle
\ninto comfort.<\/p>\n
I have seen
\nthis comfort in all my recent posts, and even as a theme in this one. So I am
\ngoing to change the pace. Instead of writing about things I understand, like my
\nfriends, I am going to write about something I don\u2019t understand. A couple weeks
\nago we went as a class to check out Belle Isle. The coolest part of that
\nadventure was discovering a little more about the City of Richmond, and how it
\ninteracts with the James. On the river, they have a bridge, or half of one,
\nstanding as a memorial of Richmond fell to the soldiers of the Union. There is
\na timeline of events and a series of quotes that speak of the emotions the
\ncitizens of Richmond felt as they watched their beloved home burning to bits.<\/p>\n
The
\nConfederation has a bad reputation where I live. People who were for the
\ndivision of the United States are considered to be horrible hateful people who
\nwant to enslave others. But from reading the quotes, the people who lived in
\nRichmond, the Capital of the South, seemed to be just like anyone else. I want
\nto know why the Lee\u2019s made the decisions that they did. Was it purely because
\nthey wanted to have slaves? I\u2019m sure there must have been much more to it than
\nthat. The people of Richmond, like any normal person, were forlorn at the idea
\nof losing their home and all it stood for. At the time, they had a very clear
\nidea of what that was. I want to know what that idea is today. I want to know
\nwhat people would miss the most about Richmond if they were forced to evacuate.
\nI want to know why Richmond is tied so solidly to the James. What is it about
\nthis River that has implanted its image so solidly into the hearts of all who
\ncall this city home?<\/p>\n
I hope that
\nI learn the answers to these questions. But I hope I find new questions to ask
\nin the process. I especially hope that I will have the courage to ask the right
\nquestions in the future.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
*This week my discovery wasn\u2019t an animal, it was all the daffodils
\nthat are suddenly showing their faces all over campus. I am including, in the
\nspirit of Kelly&Phoebe, a poem by Wordsworth. It\u2019s one of my favorites.<\/p>\n
I wandered lonely as a cloud<\/p>\n
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,<\/p>\n
When all at once I saw a crowd,<\/p>\n
A host, of golden daffodils;<\/p>\n
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,<\/p>\n
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.<\/p>\n
Continuous as the stars that shine<\/p>\n
And twinkle on the milky way,<\/p>\n
They stretched in never-ending line<\/p>\n
Along the margin of a bay:<\/p>\n
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,<\/p>\n
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.<\/p>\n
The waves beside them danced; but they<\/p>\n
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:<\/p>\n
A poet could not but be gay,<\/p>\n
In such a jocund company:<\/p>\n
I gazed–and gazed–but little thought<\/p>\n
What wealth the show to me had brought:<\/p>\n
For oft, when on my couch I lie<\/p>\n
In vacant or in pensive mood,<\/p>\n
They flash upon that inward eye<\/p>\n
Which is the bliss of solitude;<\/p>\n
And then my heart with pleasure fills,<\/p>\n
And dances with the daffodils.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hopefully
\nthey\u2019ll still be there when people do their next reflection pieces! That way
\nthey can really understand the words \u201cI gazed\u2014and gazed\u2014but little thought,
\nwhat wealth the show to me had brought\u201d. Also, jocund is one of my favorite
\nwords.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I had some experience with another
\nunusual species: The VCU student.*<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What do Kelly and Phoebe\u2019s posts have in common (besides their excellent taste in poetry)? Both focus on the importance of forgetting oneself. They both speak of the necessity of all people to lay down their lives for the betterment … Continue reading