Secret lair: a metaphor for the processes and activities that help a person survive and thrive in the challenges of teaching. I think of the secret lair as a place I can visit wherever and whenever I choose. The activities and/or mindset I employ differ from time to time based on my needs and the opportunities available, but I’ve come to appreciate some activities/mindsets more than others. Perhaps it is a combination of their usefulness along with my familiarity and adeptness with them that keeps me returning to the same trusted pursuits. Every now and then I think of (or am introduced to) another approach. Being the natural adventurer that I am, I’m usually happy to try something new. Practice has taught me that participating in new experiences, or diverging from routine, promotes creativity. For this reason, don’t be surprised if you see me juggling porcelain dolls as I skip around the local walkway. In no particular order, these are the pursuits I include in my secret lair: Talking it out with my partner, daughter or a friend—this includes debriefing the day to reflect on what did or did not work and the person to whom I speak may determines the content of the talk. Sometimes this a rant, but more often it is a serious quest into how I could improve a strategy, a relationship, and any number of things. Writing it out—this can be everything from goal oriented to-do lists compiled in a daybook, to journal entries and letters to the editor, to short fiction to poetry, essays and letters to a friend. Sometimes even just writing the events of the day is a way to let go of the past just like planning for the next day is a way to let go of anxiety or anticipation of the future. Date night—this can be done alone or with my partner/friend/daughter and it involves ordering food I wouldn’t normally cook myself and savouring every bite. This kind of celebration is somewhat of a reward after a long week or completion of a project. It doesn’t always include a special drink or dessert, but it can! Experience has taught me how important it is to celebrate my successes and accomplishments. Those don’t come easy, countless hours of hard work go into my successes and so taking a break from that hard work to celebrate is an important balancing mechanism! Of course it doesn’t have to be limited to supper. It can be a movie, a show, a concert, even a trip. After 4 long years of dedication to completing a degree I treated myself to a month long trip to Italy to visit all the places I’d read about and see, first hand, all the art I studied. That trip, though it put me in debt, was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life since it helped to consolidate much of the learning I had done! Reminiscing—often I enjoy watching my screen saver flash photos of past trips I’ve taken. Seeing a photo can take me right back to the place I visited and remind me, for instance, of what it was like to feel the course hair on the back of an elephant against my legs, how different ‘down-ward facing dog’ (a yoga pose) feels in a rural yet tropical outdoor setting. These memories may take me out of the present, but they are so vivid it is like a break from reality—and that can be just what the doctor ordered sometimes. Mindfulness meditation—on the opposite end of the spectrum, mindful meditation techniques help me become centered in the present. No denying what is, no rejecting what is, just being, sitting (or standing), breathing in the present moment and feeling the air softly swirl on the surface of my skin. I practice this as much as possible during the day when I must wait for something… a free washroom, a bank machine, to pay for groceries, or sleep to come. This exercise has potential to be the most enlivening of them all. Exercise is also enlivening! A brisk walk provides a much-needed refresher after an extended period of time spent in deep focus. Sometimes I get too close to an event to be able to think differently, to discover the vitality in the situation. A brisk walk out-of-doors with dogs running up to sniff and smile, the ducks quacking in the distance and friendly others passing by on their own walks is enough to stimulate new energy surrounding what ever I happened to be working on before the walk. Personal Development—this includes delving into the endless areas that interest me. I read/listen to books voraciously. With a glance at one of many bookshelves in my house I see books on brain science, on quantum energy, on mindfulness, on creativity, on art, on poetry, on gardening, philosophy books, cook books, language learning systems, novels, religious texts, books on fairies, gnomes and architecture. I may well have the most eclectic collection this side of Kansas. I also enjoy music: seeing it, hearing it, and taking lessons when money and time allow for it (I was taking piano lessons until a year ago). I want to learn the banjo next. The list goes on. I take any classes I can afford: clay, dancing, Jungian analysis, and drawing are a few I’ve done in the past. As a learner and a teacher, I know the value of having broad interests and going deep with them. I am constantly seeing new connections and building on past knowledge to create new knowledge, meanings, feelings and experiences. It is this zest for life, this insatiable wonder and curiosity that keep me from getting too serious. My hilarious friends help in that department also. Fortunately I don’t have to work too hard at developing a secret lair, for mine comes as naturally as nourishment: when I'm hungry, I eat!
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AuthorNatalie Nickerson; that's me. Archives
March 2016
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