With Awareness Comes Choice

Yes, that says transitions, not traditions.  Think about it.  I am.

Tucson is a yoga town.  Many people might think that can be said about their town or city, as yoga studios have popped up on every block in the past 5-10 years.  In fact, in places like NYC and DC, they are as prevalent as drive-through liquor stores are in Southern Maryland!  I just had to get a plug in for my roots somewhere and this seemed as good of a place as any..  Go S'Maryland, Go SMIBS!  OK, again, I digress.  But Tucson really is a yoga town, and by that I mean the lifestyle is embraced both on and off the mat.  The concept of practicing off the mat is at the core of the yogic lifestyle and often is a reflection of the qualities you exert on the mat, or visa verse; can we find compassion for ourselves and others, can we find where we are rigid and soften, can we acknowledge and embrace our connectedness to others, and can we become a warrior when necessary yet recognize when it is time for the peace talks? OK, here is a much simpler way to ...

I first heard this expression when attending S.E.E.D (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) training a few years ago.  S.E.E.D   is an amazing program that truly has the ability to bring curricular change, understanding and compassion to any educational institution that chooses to accept its mission. Feel free to check it out.  Anyhow, they were referring to the parts of ourselves that we bring to any group or any discussion; we have our book knowledge and we have our lived experience.  Both are equally valuable and you are encouraged not to check any parts of yourself at the door...very Burkian, if I do say so myself.  I have been thinking about this a lot the past few days as I begin to reflect on this most recent part of my journey.  Is there really a separation of self and shelf?  At some point, doesn't the shelf knowledge have the potential to become your self-knowledge, if you embrace that which you have read or heard?  And finally, are ...

As previously mentioned, I have been avoiding writing this piece.  I avoided starting it...and I have been avoiding ending it.  The problem is, I could probably keep writing the middle and call it a book before ever running out of material or motivation.  But for many reasons, I am going to resist going in this direction any further for now.  The first is that I have been asked to write a letter to the Burke community, since my retirement was already announced about four weeks ago by the Head of School and it is probably long overdue.  I feel like once I write this letter it will officially be time for me to close this chapter.  In addition, despite not being a writer,  I have come to love writing...at least this Blog.  I'm pretty confident I would still loathe writing an English essay!  Regardless, there is so much that I want to write about and only so many hours in a day.  Thus, outside of general references that I'm sure will come up...