Girl Group | Fairy Tales | Wk 6
Session six of our “Fairy Tale” series began with a reading of the poem “Planet,” by Catherine Pierce. The poem is a deep meditation on awareness. The poet leads us through her own exploration of nature: “This morning this planet glows with dustless perfect light,/enough that I can see one million sharp leaves/from where I stand.” She seems acutely aware of everything and yet, admits, “I’m ashamed to say that most days I forget this planet. That most days/I think about dentist appointments and plagiarists/and the various ways I can try to protect my body from itself.” When her thoughts and worries intrude too much, she brings herself back to awareness of the planet, the world, “I’m trying to come down soft today.”
How can we “come down soft?”
How can we be Hero, Villain, Sidekick and Magical Person in this world and forgive ourselves and others? We talked about how our perception of our roles changes the way we move through the world.
Each week we've asked the Girls where they are today? Are they the Hero, Villain, Sidekick or Magical Person? "Sometimes I feel like my life is a reality show and I’m the star, thus I’m the hero and magic person." "I’m magical because I can make things work out. I try." "I’m magical because I have a magical life with my parents."
We finished up our costumes and had a raucous character parade. Each Girl introduced herself using multiple emotion words, linked by the word “however.” We’ve been practicing the idea that we can be more than one thing at once. For example, “I am happy to be here today, however, I was disappointed to do poorly on my spelling test, however I was pleased that school was serving my favorite lunch, however I was a little angry at my brother for spilling milk on my jacket, however I was amused by my friend’s silly faces.”
The pickle jar questions were revealing and illuminating and our teen guides and mentors offered gems from their own experience and impressed us with their wisdom and open hearts. Questions ranged from, "What to do when your in trouble?" "What do you do if you feel different?" "What do you do when no one is paying attention to you?" Sometimes a question started with a statement or observation, "I sometimes don’t like my friends," everyone agreed. "Often it’s because of me. I’m in a bad mood." Our insightful teen guides (TG) responded, "Don’t take it out on our friends. Sometimes you don’t like people and it’s fine. Be respectful about it."
"What do I do when I feel like being mean to someone?" TG, "Think about it and the consequences and then decide what you want to do. Write it down, get it out."
"How do you start a conversation with someone you don’t know, who’s different from you? TG: "I compliment them."
A BIG thank you for your Girls participation in our “Fairy Tale” series. It’s been an amazing ride!
Space remains in our Girl Group Summer Camp and we'll have a few workshops over the summer. Check our website for more information or see below for details on what's coming up.
With gratitude,
Wes and Tanya
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