prompt entry 8

I have learned to slow down. I have learned to sit still. I have learned that the winter woods contain marvels. I have learned that blue moss grows on some of the trees on my property. I have learned that I don’t need to be gone for a month to be recharged by the natural world; a few focused minutes might even suffice. I have learned to listen, to look, to quell the internal chatter that draws a curtain between myself the world. I have learned that my trees have burls. I have learned that my little parcel of earth is big enough to pique my curiosity for years, provided I pay attention. I have learned that others find the notion of escaping to the wilderness to be an archaic, worn cliché. I have learned that I still want to escape to the wilderness. I have learned that blighted, overlooked landscapes can be rendered beautifully, but that such a rendering requires love and dutiful attention. I have learned, again, that my obsession with canoes is unbounded. I have learned that the sight of my own kids tromping about outside fills me with an unspeakable joy. I have learned that sometimes it is o.k. to rage and rant; I have learned that sometimes ranting defeats the purpose. I have learned that there used to be a river in L.A., and then there wasn’t, though there might be again. I have learned that one can write interestingly about nature in L.A. I have learned that I enjoy the lyrical, provided I get heaping doses of bedrock to anchor it. I have learned that my own interests tend towards the margins. I have learned Annie Dillard is a liar. I have learned that Updike’s characters have ‘burnished feces’. I have learned that I’d much rather sit with people face to face than communicate over the ‘interwebs’. I have learned that having to slow down and write out my thoughts crystallizes them in a way that blathering on in a classroom doesn’t. I have learned that I still miss the classroom. I have learned of a great many writers new to me. I have learned that those familiar to me still seem like old friends. I have learned that my ambitions are modest, though I may be feinting a bit. I have learned that an engaged instructor makes a lot of difference. I have learned to appreciate, to question, to defend, to defer, to speak up, to pipe down, to expand, to explore. I have learned. And for that I am thankful.