Here is the Thing.

Here is the thing. You are writing about your teaching and as you write, you are learning. Maybe a little, maybe a lot, but writing is thinking. As my Prescott College mentor Jim Stuckey often says, you are “wrinking.” Writing and thinking. That is good reflection. Good writing. Good thinking. As you might imagine, we did a lot of journaling at Prescott College and when it was working well it was like writing a poem or song. One that looked into the soul and used whatever you had in your skull to draw out your best guesses and ideas. It was art. So yeah, “Wrinking.”

 

Here is the thing. You are reading the thoughts of others here and that is good. Writing helps others. That is why books have been so popular.

 

Here is the thing. You are in something like a book club. We find some topics and read some words and ponder them. Maybe we discuss on the blog or maybe in the hallway. Maybe we don’t. Maybe we just write the words for ourselves (see the first paragraph) or maybe we share them with our friends or foes.

 

Here is the thing. We are generating some money for a good cause. A student scholarship fund. How wonderful is that! We can sit here on our couches and contribute in a meaningful way to the common good. We are good. We are working together for something larger than ourselves.

 

I would like to say that it is that last part of this endeavor that has really made some of this work meaningful to me. The small gifts we were given as participants in this event. I remember the beautiful ceramic pots that Tom Schumacher made for us a few years back. I still have both of mine from both years! The wonderful poinsettias from the Chino Valley Horticulture Club we received for our writing for a few years! The wine swag we got from the wonderful Foundation. The gifts from the GIFT center! We all thought together, worked together, and shared our ideas. That is the thing.