{"id":182,"date":"2023-08-02T02:39:04","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T02:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/?p=182"},"modified":"2023-08-02T18:18:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T18:18:44","slug":"mid-quarter-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/mid-quarter-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking Back: Mid-Quarter Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nature isn\u2019t bad or good. Nature is a relationship, a big map of interconnectedness, of needs met, bodies transformed.<\/p>Erin Sharkey, A Darker Wilderness:  Black Nature Writing from Soil to Stars<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of this project thus far, I have been forming and strengthening a wide variety of relationships. My relationship with nature, specifically with John\u2019s Island, has been significantly changed due to my sit spot practice and mindfulness as I live and work on this island. I\u2019ve encountered stunning moments of beauty, witnessing owls, hummingbirds, frogs, deer, and so much more as I move mindfully across this land. I\u2019ve slowed down amidst the rush of a hectic job, I\u2019ve allowed myself the space to bask in the beauty around me. I\u2019ve savored the words of David Haskell in his book, The Forest Unseen<\/em>, annotating and reflecting on favorite sections as I reflect on my favorite encounters from my time here on John\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My relationship with the people around me has changed as well. Through my position as gardener, I have had the opportunity to step into leadership and mentorship with children and peers, crafting activities to different age groups and facilitating these activities with a wide variety of children. I\u2019ve reflected on each activity, recognizing what works and doesn\u2019t work and allowing myself grace when a day doesn\u2019t go according to plan. I\u2019ve stepped up as a leader within the unit I live, advocating for quieter camper voices and offering support as my coworkers shine in their own place of leadership. I\u2019ve felt proud, I\u2019ve felt ashamed, I\u2019ve learned a great deal about how to work with others and how to teach in a garden setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My relationship with the camp garden has blossomed like the plants within that fence. I have stepped into the role of caretaker, taking on garden chores and maintenance as the summer season goes on. It\u2019s been hard to find the time to get everything done amidst the fast-paced speed of this hectic job, which means I have fallen short in many ways as gardener. But in a lot of ways, I also feel very prideful of what I have accomplished so far, of the harvests I have been able to have. I\u2019ve facilitated the growth and harvest of lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, snap peas, kale, plums, cherries, cabbage, squash, and rhubarb. I\u2019ve had the joy of hearing children\u2019s reactions to eating something they harvested right out of the ground. With the amount of time I have been given to care for this space, I believe I have done an impressive job, and I definitely intend to bring my thoughts up with my supervisor at the end of the summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, my relationship with myself. Many realizations about self have come out of this project and job, I am finding a great many of my needs being met, and a great many more not being met at all. My body is being transformed, and a lot of it is due to my time in the garden and my time practicing sit spot. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to live, learn, and grow in such a beautiful space, a space that has held a special spot in my heart for a very long time. Looking forward to another month of growth and engagement, hoping it\u2019s a great one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A blurry moon reflected on the water outside my door<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nature isn\u2019t bad or good. Nature is a relationship, a big map of interconnectedness, of needs met, bodies transformed. Erin Sharkey, A Darker Wilderness:  Black Nature Writing from Soil to Stars Over the course of this project thus far, I have been forming and strengthening a wide variety of relationships. My relationship with nature, specifically … Continue reading Looking Back: Mid-Quarter Reflection<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":453,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"geo":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/453"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182\/revisions\/227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.evergreen.edu\/foodag-portfolio-su23-dewitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}