Photo by BJ Lecrone
A group of nine participants joined workshop leader Nancy Morgan on July 7 to talk about the many meanings of the word “perspective. There are those that focus on using past experience as a context for judging new ones, and the perspective that involves using all the senses in the present to understand and assess something in our current environment. The French phrase “trompe l’oiel,” meaning a trick of the eye, describes how a long fence row appears to change in size over distance.
Our first activity was to recall a past experience that we approached with trepidation and uncertainty that turned out to be a simple effort, easily managed. A Rumi poem was read to illustrate this dilemma. Each person shared an experience, reminding us of how much we have in common.
Next we went into the woods surrounding the Gate House to find evidence of perspective and to report back our discoveries. This was an opportunity to let nature be our teacher and benefit from relaxing time spent wandering impulsively as sights and sounds caught our attention. Again, we returned to the picnic table to report our findings. Our session closed with a poem by Wendell Berry that illustrates the benefit of putting childhood memories into a current perspective.