Simplify Yourself…

Last week when I walked into the forest my instinct, as it often is, was to find the best climbing tree and bounce my way as close to the top as I could get. There was a slight disappointment when I saw that none of the trees in this particular forest looked like they would be much fun to climb. Then, as we stood in a circle, that disappointment turned into confusion when we were asked to go off towards a place that compelled us.

Climbing trees is what compel me. Jumping onto a low hanging branch and swinging my way around the tree’s trunk, hopping from one branch to the next, to the next, until I find the right spot and I sit, back against the trunk, legs carefully balancing my body, and look out onto the forest, and take a deep breath. And in that breath, I feel grounded. In a tree, my senses are heightened, my body relaxed, and my spirit tuned into and connected the world.

But there were no trees. I started getting worried, so I quickly made a plan to use some downed branches to create the illusion of a good climbing tree. By the time we were sent off I had already constructed a tree fort in my minds eye and had completely forgotten that the point of the exercise was to allow myself to be lead to a place. As the circle broke I began walking, fully intending to carry out my plan.

Then, in the periphery of my vision appeared a rock. It was a large rock, four feet high, six feet wide. I could not see it from my position in the circle, but as I began walking, something about it seemed to call out to me. And as the images of my tree fort drifted away I was able to recall the instructions: go towards a place that compels you, approach it with care, get to know the place, spend time with it…

I walked up to this rock and stopped a few feet away from it. I took a deep breath and tears starting flowing down my face. I took a step closer and felt my throat close up. By the time I reached the rock I was sobbing uncontrollably, leaning up against the rock to keep from falling over. After a few minutes I looked up, took another breath, and sat by my rock until it was time to go back to the circle.

This was one of several workshops that I participated in during a professional development seminar last week. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is, as an experiential educator, to have opportunities to play the role of participant in workshops and activities that are similar in nature to the ones that I am often the facilitator of. It lets me see other facilitator’s styles, remember what it is like to be facilitated, and step outside of my own creative process, to learn from and provide feedback to my peers.

Perhaps most importantly it reminds to not over think things, to not be too complicated. It reminds me that in experiential education, most of the heavy lifting is done by the participants. As a facilitator my job is to frame the experience in context and reflection. My job is to create a safe place where the participants can trust me, trust each other, and trust themselves. My job is to bring them in and then get out of the way.

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