Monday, September 28, 2009

Thinking landscapes

This morning for some reason I found myself mentally tabbing through many of the best experiences of my life, and I noticed with some wonder that many of them had something in common. Beautiful landscapes. A sense of openness, freedom. A timeless quality that brought peace and a sense of limitless expansiveness. In some situations those where real physical landscapes: watching a thunderstorm out over the ocean; watching eagles circling overhead in Alaska; sitting on a porch in the afternoon watching waves of corn stalks, moving in the wind. And then there's the sky--open, beautiful, always changing. I love the sky in the midwestern U.S.--you can see that is really does go on forever, and it's one of the most defining characters in the Indiana landscape. Not tall buildings. Not mountains. Not gorges and rivers. Not flat land. The sky. A constant companion that lifts you up and out of yourself. Nice.

What are the landscapes in your life, and how have they shaped some of your best experiences? If you have a few minutes today, thumb back through that photo album (even if it's in your mind) and see. :)

Sunday, September 27, 2009

New International eJournal in Narrative Practice

A few days ago the Dulwich Centre officially launched Explorations: An E-journal of Narrative Practice. Editor John Winslade writes a wonderful opening piece that sets the stage for the discussion and welcomes input from practitioners, professionals, students, and just people like us living this life all over the world. The Centre is inviting feedback and wants help in shaping the journal in the months to come. A wonderful first effort! Check it out.