“Respect, I think, always implies imagination—the ability to see one another, across our inevitable differences, as living souls.” (Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace) In South Africa where I lived for many years, the basic “hello” greeting, sawubona, translates literally, “I see you.” In this mundane greeting, people declare to each other a tiny reminder that “I see you as a human, and I respect you.” Writing offers an opportunity to say the same: “I see you; I respect you.” In writing, we slow down long … [Read more...] about Writing Exercises My Respect Muscles (Writing As a Spiritual Discipline Series)
Summer Snapshot: Reimagining Work
This summer I have been focusing on reimagining work instead of escaping work. I started the summer completing one of the heaviest projects of my life, my dissertation. PhD in hand, I spent a good few weeks reflecting on how to “come out of the tunnel” after an intense academic year. It felt like walking into a sunny afternoon after nine hours in a dark library. I spent plenty of time on long walks and lying in my hammock looking at treetops. … [Read more...] about Summer Snapshot: Reimagining Work