Monday, May 31, 2010

uninspired

I was just thinking about the whole "if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it really make a sound?" question and found a little more meat in Wikipedia...

Philosopher George Berkeley, in his work, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, proposes, "But, say you, surely there is nothing easier than for me to imagine trees, for instance, in a park [. . .] and nobody by to perceive them. [...] The objects of sense exist only when they are perceived; the trees therefore are in the garden [. . .] no longer than while there is somebody by to perceive them."[1] 

I then had one of those strange *gulp* moments when I connected this question to the fact that I've been so completely uninspired to journal or blog or anything these past many months (years, actually)...and I wondered if my lack of inspiration/energy/ganas to put pen to paper lately is acutally akin to the tree falling with no one around.  Is that what journaling is about?  Not just a place for me to make sense of my experiences and extract some sort of meaning from everything, but to ensure my experiences aren't left "unperceived" by others?  Not sure, though I do know the past couple of years are already pretty fuzzy even in my own mind--much in part, I'm sure, to the fact that I've hardly recorded a thing.

Work has really sucked the life out me lately and drained me of most personal inspiration.  A lot of that is my own fault--not managing my time as well as I could--but a lot of it simply comes with the territory.  Going to give myself 1 more year to see if it's possible to be a great principal and the kind of mom I want to be.  Hoping the inspiration returns.

2 comments:

Stella said...

I was actually considering returning and getting my administration license. I really would love to hear the highs and lows of being a principal. Can we talk about this? Can I call you or can you email me?

Shannon said...

I have felt this way too, Bethany. Life gets so busy sometimes that it is difficult to find time to document it. However, I've found great value in the introspection that comes from journaling. It doesn't have to be a lot--just a little bit of recording thoughts and memories and actions makes a difference. It also helps you see, years down the road, from where you've come and gives you something to be proud of.