I regularly attend writing workshops and recently I went to one that focused on marketing books using social media. While I haven’t published any books yet (emphasis on the yet), it’s a good idea to have a platform in place when I reach that point. To that end I have created an Instagram and Twitter account. To make these social media accounts effective, I regularly have to engage with them and be engaged by those who follow me. This is a challenge as I don’t often post much because I don’t think of my everyday life as being “post worthy”. I spend most of my mornings at my computer writing or studying and I spend my afternoons taking long walks and reading. It’s great for me as a routine goes but it’s pretty boring to post about day after day.
To help me with my social media engagement, I came up with a concept I can post about regularly. Last week I kicked off a weekly social media campaign called “Wednesday Writer’s Prompt”. The idea is to post a picture or text prompt each Wednesday as a writing exercise. I follow a lot of writers through social media and a few of them follow me so maybe it will catch on and inspire someone to write something. That’s the goal anyway.
Below is today’s writing prompt. It’s a picture I took near sunset at Lake Easton State Park a few weeks ago.
Lake Easton State Park
Here is what I wrote for this prompt:
We’ve been walking this road for so long; from sunrise now to sunset. My feet hurt. I want to stop. I want to rest. The bugs are out, gnawing at what little remains of us. How have bugs survived when so many of us haven’t? Rest is coming, at least rest from walking. Rest from dying and starvation, rest from choking on the air and baking in the sun will only come if we reach where we’re going. I hope this road gets us there. So few of us left, so many miles to go.
Joe Davis and David Scherer at Holden Village 2019
I see you. I hear you. You matter.
My trip to Holden Village had been on the books for
nearly a year but I didn’t give much thought as to what I would do when I got
there. I brought along my hiking gear knowing that would always be an option. I
brought an e-reader loaded with books in case I had down time but I didn’t
think I would (and I really didn’t). I knew there would be time for bible study
and session work but I wasn’t sure if any of it would interest me when the time
came.
Every summer season, Holden Village brings in speakers
from around the world to lecture or workshop on a variety of topics. Each
season is different giving guests a unique experience every time they sojourn
to the village. I didn’t look at who would be presenting while I was there and
figured I’d go wherever the spirit called me.
Joe Davis and David Scherer led a series of workshops exploring race and faith in our church and in our world. Most of their workshops conflicted with the village choir practice so I didn’t get to attend all of their presentations. It was Wednesday before I had a break from choir and could sit in on what they came to talk about.
They started with Sawubona, a Zulu greeting which translates
to “I see you”, a far more meaningful greeting than a simple “hello”. Sawubona
says “I see who you are personally, your humanity, dignity, and respect”. I’d
never heard of it before but I quickly recognized the power of understanding
behind it.
Whenever anyone finished speaking at one of their
workshops, those in attendance would collectively respond, “We see you. We hear
you. You matter.” It was a way of acknowledging the individual’s contribution
to the discussion even if what they said was uncomfortable or caused
dissention.
It’s easy to do something like this in a faith setting in
a remote village in the mountains. Places like Holden draw a certain type of
person; one generally open to new ideas and ways of connecting to “other”
people.
I began to wonder what it would be like if Sawubona was
used in government. What if after every member in the house or senate spoke,
the group collectively responded with “we see you, we hear, you, you matter”?
What if when every candidate finished speaking at a debate, the other
candidates responded with “We see you, we hear you, you matter”? Think of what
kind of example that would set to those watching. Would they stop and listen?
Would they consider the words of their advisories? Or would Sawubona morph into
a platitude spoken with no intention of understanding?
While I don’t serve in government (nor do I have any desire
to do so), I can apply Sawubona in my own life. There are times when I make
remarks on social media that others don’t agree with. I have often been
attacked personally for my views and opinions and yes even facts I’ve
presented. Since my trek to Holden Village, I have been trying even harder to
temper my responses and consider Sawubona. This person attacking me matters,
the sum of their life experiences has led them to a place of disagreement with
me but that doesn’t negate either one of us. I matter, they matter, we all
matter.
But what happens when Sawubona isn’t reciprocated? I’m
not gonna lie, that’s the part I struggle with. It’s frustrating to no end when
I extend understanding but don’t receive it in return. I can’t control what
someone else says, does, or even believes. Yet if I want something better,
something more, I have to be the example. I have to model the change I want to
see in others.
I encourage all of you reading this to consider Sawubona as you go about your daily lives. Perhaps finding common ground in these adversarial times starts with a simple acknowledgement of the other: I see you. I hear you. You matter!
This summer I had planned on spending an abundance of time on my myriad of writing projects but I had forgotten how distracting summer sunshine can be. Between camping trips, kayaking, family parties, and church events, my summer writing time has just slipped away. While I may not have spent as much time as I would have liked inside on my computer working, I can’t say my time was wasted.
One of the primary activities I had scheduled for this summer was a week long trip to Holden Village with several members of my church family. I knew this trip would be one of renewal and inspiration even though I’d never been to Holden before.
Holden Village was once a small copper mining town
located deep in the North Cascade Mountains. Long after the mine closed, the
village was turned over to a Lutheran school and has since been used as a
spiritual retreat center. To say it is remote is an understatement. Getting to Holden
requires a drive up the shores of Lake Chelan, a two hour boat ride to Lucerne,
then a ten mile bus ride up a mountain and deep into the wilderness.
Holden is off the grid literally. They draw and treat
their water from Copper Creek and operate their own hydroelectric plant. There
is zero cell reception, no television, minimal internet (barely enough to check
your email on a computer located in the village library), and almost no way for
guests to reach the outside world during their stay.
Guest accommodations are simple rustic lodge rooms complete
with a sink and mice if you don’t seal up your food. Bathrooms are communal and
located on each floor. Meals are served cafeteria style in the dining hall and
the menu is largely vegetarian. Several days a week the village operates a
snack bar where guests can buy ice cream provided you schedule your activities
when the bar is open.
Lodge 4 at Holden Village
Every evening at Holden Village, a vespers service is held where the entire community gathers for a short time. Announcements are made and blessings are given to new arrivals and those about to depart.
My first few days at Holden I carried my phone around
with me out of habit. I took pictures with it but I don’t generally take a lot
of photos with my phone. After a few days I noticed I began to leave my phone
behind. I did not miss it.
I spent my time attending sessions with speakers from around
the world who gave insight and twists on bible stories I’d heard since I was a
kid. I ate meals with my extended church family. I went hiking and explored the
natural area around the village. I played board games and sang songs.
With each passing day, I felt renewed and refreshed. I
was eager for the next day, not because it put me one step closer to eventually
going home, but because I had no idea what the next day would teach me about
myself, my family, and our place in the larger world.
I saw an abundance of deer and ground squirrels. I saw
what wildfire can do to a forest. I saw bears. I saw the efforts of a major
mining company in their cleanup of Railroad Creek which had been contaminated
by the old copper mine. I saw new life. I saw the stars.
While I was eager to return home for some much needed protein
I really didn’t want to return to the greater world. I didn’t want to return to
news of shootings, injustice, corruption and pollution. I found such peace and
tranquility in those mountains and sometimes the real world sucks.
Reentry was an adjustment but I was only gone a week so it wasn’t long before my phone was back in my pocket at all times and I was in the grove of my normal routine. Yet a piece of Holden has stayed with me. I don’t know how long I can keep that spark inside lit but I hope to share with you a few of the things I picked up on my pilgrimage. Stay tuned for more about my trip to Holden in the coming weeks.
