Starting/Starting back to BAPP.
I have posted before about how 'starting' or beginning comes in different forms. See this post
But at the moment I am thinking about getting to the middle!! rather than thinking about beginning and ending - which we tend to do and dismiss the middle. As if the middle was just the vehicle for getting somewhere else. But as you know from my work - the process is the 'thing' the process is it, the journey is the learning part. So rather than think about making your study a compartment that must begin somewhere and end somewhere try thinking about how you get to the middle of it. How do you get to the point where you are in a routine, where you are familiar with some thoughts and books and people and they are mulling over in your head (in the supermarket or on the bus)? How do you get to enjoying the feeling of explaining an idea or dancing or reflecting on it in your journal that already has a number of pages you have written on? How do you get to your blog being a familiar place that you write in and have comments on and use to connect and comment with a group of students on BAPP you are fond of?
How do you get to be in the middle of your life not on its edges? That is what I am asking myself at the moment.
Please comment below
Hi Adesola,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this blog. I looked back at your blog about beginnings and created one inspired by that. https://emmadaltonbapp.blogspot.com/2020/01/beginnings.html
Many thanks,
Emma
This is an unusual and interesting post. In 2020, I feel that life is a rush and minute scenarios escalate to become stressful. The average person in London tends to wake up and are determined to get to their destination that day as soon as possible. Interpreting your idea of finding 'the middle', commuting is a relatable symbol. Of course we all need to be on time for work, but very few take in their surroundings, are courteous to those around them and perhaps feel truly in the moment. A good exercise to practice acknowledging 'the middle' is to be in the moment. Live in the present. I have been reading a mindfulness book called Journey to the Heart by Melody Beattie, and she wonderfully explains how people think too far into the future and dwell too much into the past, without witnessing the present. It is a gift after all!
ReplyDeleteHi Adesola,
ReplyDeleteI found this really interesting to read. It made me think about how I approach tasks and general everyday life and I do feel like I'm more focused on getting started to get to the end product, rather than taking in each step and as Serina said, 'being in the moment'. If we only focus on getting to the end of things then are we really living our lives or are we just robots conforming to todays society? It is an interesting idea which I'm going to research further. Maybe if we all focused on the present a little more, the world would be a happier, less stressful place...
Living life on the edges is certainly something I became used to during a difficult stage of my life. However, going through all of that and coming out the other side has really been an eye opener. I love throwing myself into projects, work and ofcourse I always reflect at the end of the day in a quiet space. My children have definitely helped me learn to love the present :)
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to my blog post called 'Let's start at th very beginning' https://bloomingblogbybronte.blogspot.com/2020/02/lets-start-at-very-beginning.html
DeleteYou make some very good points both in this article and in your previous blog. Feel free to visit my blog to read my reflections on this post:
ReplyDeletehttps://jmmayor.blogspot.com/2020/02/reflections-on-beginning-in-middle.html
Hi Adesola,
ReplyDeleteIn response to your post, I recognise that the middle of any process in life might actually be the most important. Do we ever stop learning? Do we achieve something in life and stop there or do we continue to evolve which leads us to find new goals to reach? Of course everything must start somewhere, but did we start exploring something because of a prior engagement in life that lead us to that point without us realising until with start to analyse the process. This would mean that what we thought was the start of a new process was actually a continuation of previous events.
Something that I find also connects with this post is a book I read last year, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. It emphasises the importance of living in the moment and not dwelling on the beginning or worrying about the end, but actually enjoying the middle and absorbing everything that the middle has to offer.