New Writer: Health, Authenticity

I am returning to Butler again after a 15-year break to travel, nurture the life of a daughter and carry out creative endeavors like tipi building on mountain sides, designing sensory deprivation tank rooms and learning ways to be an authentic, healthy version of myself with elders of many traditions. My first experience at Butler was spent in the photography program’s dark room. That room, film development program and even some of the staff only exist in memory today.

As an aspiring artist, the hope then was to learn how to capture images for reference photos to create paintings and drawings that would deliver the deeper meanings that “life moments” revealed to me. Now, I am emphasizing art in my studies as I complete the vision that started so long ago in that dark room.

This is an example of how my journey has taught me to live- listen to integrity and adjust to discomfort. See, writing an article is something that my intuition encouraged me to do, but it makes me uncomfortable at the same time. It has taken many teachers, teacher trainings and thousands of books for me to realize that this is a sign of growth. Knowing this helps me move through the discomfort that can arise and do what I know is true or authentic to do.

In one training course, our class read the book “The Courage to Teach” by Parker J. Palmer. There he writes, “The courage to teach builds on a simple premise. Good teaching can not be reduced to technique but is rooted in the identity and integrity of the teacher. Good teaching takes myriad forms, but good teachers share one trait: they are authentically present in the classroom, deeply connected with their students and their subjects. These connections are held in the teacher’s heart- the place where intellect, emotion and spirit converge in the human self. Good teachers weave a life-giving web between themselves, their subjects and their students. Helping their students learn how to weave a web for themselves.”

Good teachers continue to teach me how to show up authentically in life. Here in future articles, there will be glimpses of the connections I and others in our community are learning to express themselves authentically, be a healthy version of themselves and convert the experiences of life into something meaningful.   

We can learn from our fellow students, teachers, other cultures, history and modern day society or miss what is available right in front of our eyes. Our internal state, the environment around us and communal connections all play a role in our wellness. Here in The Lantern, I’ll share what information and insights I witness about how to deal with stress, gain new perspectives in these polarized times and consider what it means to be a healthy, authentic person. This column is a further exploration of my interest in wellness by having conversations with local communities, the people of Butler Community College and in reflection of class lessons that are deeply meaningful. Something in me knows to write and the structure of this column allows the right space to discover what that intuitive nudge will bring into the world by simply following through with the process.