Day Six: 5 People Who Mean a Lot
Only five? I have had the privilege of having so many meaningful, powerful, kind, thoughtful and generous people in my life! I am going to have to make 5 categories rather than simply naming 5 people. You know which category you belong in, right?
1) My kids. They are my most exacting teachers.
2) My academic mentors, teachers and cheerleaders from Ms. Moran in High School who recognized I could write, to Phyllis Nahman at Community College who recognized I had a great mind and could write, to my professors at Mount Holyoke College who challenged me, rewired my brain, required my very best at every turn. The authors, artists and adventurers I've studied and the friends I've had who've said, "What do you mean you've never read _______? Here! Read this!"
3) My spiritual mentors, teachers, peers, friends, foes and students. Hmm. This is a huge category. There've been those who have formally taken on the role of teacher/mentor for short or long periods of time, those who've entered the stage of my life breifly whose wisdom impacted me deeply. There've been those who shook me to my core with their assumptions, assertions, arguments and adversity--my "Worthy Opponents" who I've pushed against to better define who I am and the kind of person I want to be. My students keep me on my toes and, eventually, wind up teaching me--my own teacher said, "Be prepared for your students to surpass you in some ways. If they do, that is no failure on your part, but the highest compliment to your Work." My peers allow me to be fully human--and are fearless enough to let me know when I'm making mistakes, teach me through example, support me in my efforts to carry my gifts into the world.
4) My lovers. Whether it ended badly (often) or amicably (ocassionally) , ya'll sure taught me some lessons about myself. You impacted my world and self awareness in ways that were so deep, so intimate, so profound as to tear me out of denial and stand me squarely in front of the Mirror. Plus, if we were together for any length of time, it's cos there was that incredible chemistry and the sex was amazing. So, thanks for that!
5) The Unseen Ones. Victor Anderson said, "God is a person like myself." So, I include the Gods, Guardians, Ancestors, Allies, Spirits, Fey and other Unseen Ones. They are people who've also been my teachers, taken a vested interest in my evolution as a Human-Wild-Divine Being. Some of these encounters were brief but profound. Others are eternal and ever-developing.
1) My kids. They are my most exacting teachers.
2) My academic mentors, teachers and cheerleaders from Ms. Moran in High School who recognized I could write, to Phyllis Nahman at Community College who recognized I had a great mind and could write, to my professors at Mount Holyoke College who challenged me, rewired my brain, required my very best at every turn. The authors, artists and adventurers I've studied and the friends I've had who've said, "What do you mean you've never read _______? Here! Read this!"
3) My spiritual mentors, teachers, peers, friends, foes and students. Hmm. This is a huge category. There've been those who have formally taken on the role of teacher/mentor for short or long periods of time, those who've entered the stage of my life breifly whose wisdom impacted me deeply. There've been those who shook me to my core with their assumptions, assertions, arguments and adversity--my "Worthy Opponents" who I've pushed against to better define who I am and the kind of person I want to be. My students keep me on my toes and, eventually, wind up teaching me--my own teacher said, "Be prepared for your students to surpass you in some ways. If they do, that is no failure on your part, but the highest compliment to your Work." My peers allow me to be fully human--and are fearless enough to let me know when I'm making mistakes, teach me through example, support me in my efforts to carry my gifts into the world.
4) My lovers. Whether it ended badly (often) or amicably (ocassionally) , ya'll sure taught me some lessons about myself. You impacted my world and self awareness in ways that were so deep, so intimate, so profound as to tear me out of denial and stand me squarely in front of the Mirror. Plus, if we were together for any length of time, it's cos there was that incredible chemistry and the sex was amazing. So, thanks for that!
5) The Unseen Ones. Victor Anderson said, "God is a person like myself." So, I include the Gods, Guardians, Ancestors, Allies, Spirits, Fey and other Unseen Ones. They are people who've also been my teachers, taken a vested interest in my evolution as a Human-Wild-Divine Being. Some of these encounters were brief but profound. Others are eternal and ever-developing.