What are we doing this for?

Again with the lists. Vignettes? Sad attempt at organization or style?

1. Both our boys love to pick up sticks and rocks when we are in forests or parks. They will hold on to their nature treasure until B or I  tell them to leave it behind. And they do, most of the time without protest. They get home and other than the few plants that are scattered around the house, they are completely separated from "nature." We prefer to keep nature in its natural home. But why should nature end when we close the door when it comes to play? (purposeful rhetorical philosophical question)

2. Last night I resolved to begin my resolution (why do I get the feeling this was one of last year's resolutions if I bothered to come up with some?) of actually completing a book. I forced myself (ugh, it shouldn't be that hard, wasn't I an avid reader before social media took over?) to complete a chapter of 2 books. One fiction, one non-fiction. I'll tell you about the non-fiction one because i don't want to give away spoilers of the fiction one. But before I do that, can I just share with you at how many times I got distracted from trying to complete one measly chapter? Facebook managed to distract me at least 3 times. Responsibilities of being a parent factored in, as well as staring out at the mess in the room in which I was attempting (contemplating 😹) to clean all week. But I soldiered on and managed to read 19 pages.

3. So my 5th grader son does this thing called "read and jot" in class. I resolved to do that this year. I would read a chapter, and here, recount my reflections on it. I read it yesterday so bear with me. The title of the book is Coyote's Guide To Connecting With Nature. I bought it at the Reaching Nature Connection conference I attended in Black Mountain, NC last March with my Santa Barbara based Forest Kindergarten heroines. 

It is basically a guide to mentoring people into connecting with nature using the approach of a coyote. In the first chapter they make numerous connections between the ideal nature mentor and the personality of a coyote. A coyote lives on the edges of society between where people live and wild animals live. An ideal mentor guides their mentee in connecting to nature by helping them push the edges just a bit at a time. An ideal mentor doesn't dictate what is to be learned, but offers an invitation to what is possible. This book is meant to combat the nature deficit disorder that is seemingly rampant in today's world. Not by forcing it, but creating a space that makes it enticing, magical, and well, inviting. I'm not sure if that exactly what it says, but that is what it made me think what I should be doing.

I like the aspect of the coyote as a trickster of sorts. Guiding in a way where I plead ignorance as a way to teach a mentee valuable lessons that they come to on their own. It goes with the theme of this blog - perpetually daft. Embodying someone that is almost proud to admit not knowing much and as a result maintains a sense of wonder and curiosity. Not only would it allow a mentee to learn and come to conclusions on their own but be encouraged to also feel that sense of wonder and curiosity.

4. So the reading (and I guess this writing) is one of my 2018 resolutions.

5. My other resolution is to meet up with friends that I have not seen. Friends, consider this an open invitation. Let's start scheduling our get togethers. My weekends are (fairly) open, when do you want to meet up?

We do this for meaningful connection.