Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Contemplative Practices in Higher Education, 3

Finally finished reading the book for the retreat beginning tomorrow, and made notes on the pages most relevant to information literacy. Then I went for a walk, being present to sounds (birds, crickets, chipmunks, and cicadas), sights (clover - 2 different kinds, a bumblebee, raspberries blooming, different types of grasses, ox-eye daisies, honeysuckle, yellow iris in the marsh, money plant, sunlight and shadow patterns), scents (raspberries, honeysuckle, sun-warmed pine needles, sugar house steeped in maple smoke), sensations (breezes, sun-warmth, shade-coolness, mosquitos buzzing, unevenness of the path).

I'm a little apprehensive - will this retreat be in the sense of "working but off-campus" or "contemplative place away from the world"? The text is rich but the agenda looks full: practicing the techniques described, with activities from 4:00-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 8:15 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, and 8:15-noon Friday.

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