Lennon Wall, Prague
“Shape-shifting begins with - is not responsive to - what truly is, shaping the world rather than dominating it. We shape the world with our imaginations.” ~ Laura Sewall, Sight and Sensibility
For the past almost two weeks, my husband and I have been in British Columbia, experiencing a pause in our lives and appreciating a different kind of place, one with huge mountains! As I’ve said many times before, pausing is a great time to reflect on the past, appreciate the present, and imagine a new way forward.
This week marks the beginning of the final quarter of the Seeing your Place project. So, it’s a good time to pause and reflect. For the past three months, we’ve been engaged with seeing our place as it is now. We’ve looked at the flora and fauna, the culture, the economy, and how our place is being affected by a changing climate. There are most likely things about your place that you treasure and things you’d like to be different.
For the final quarter, we’ll shift the focus to imagining new ways of being in our place. And, I’ll give you plenty of examples for inspiration. But first, take the time this week to reflect and write in your journal about the following questions.
Practice
How has your relationship to your place changed or expanded so far this year?
Make two lists - one of what you love about your place and the other about what you don’t like or would like to see changed or protected. Which one on the second list do you feel most strongly about? As Laura Sewall says in the quote above, it takes imagination to shape culture (and the world) - one step at a time. How can you step into that change now?
I’d love to hear what you come up with. Tell us what you love about your place and what you’d like to see changes. Share in the comments (open to everyone) or on Instagram (add the hashtag #seeingyourplace2022).