This is a short post. Blog writing has been slow. It’s not that there are no words — I have 56 draft posts in all stages of nearly-done to mostly-undone. Perhaps words are insufficient right now.
So, what’s nourishing you? What helps? What keeps you feeling alive? I have previously posted about holding on to holiday feelings, but we are now well and truly back at work and school. The homework has started.
Here are some things that are working for me:
- A return of students to campus. Here in Australia, there is very little community transmission of COVID-19, and we haven’t seen this many students in one place since the final semester of 2019. Students change the energy of a campus. It is uplifting.
- Co-leading the MOOC Contemporary Approaches to University Teaching with Marina Harvey. It is still open for enrolments, and has had participants from 106 countries around the world. I am particularly enjoying discussions on planning to teach and icebreaker activities.
- Meeting colleagues on campus for face-to-face meetings and coffee. (With the opening of a new central hub, we have new places to try!) And, people, it is wonderful to see you fully embodied.
- Taking a walk every day. Here are some photographs my son and I took of different barks on the way to school. Yes, we walk past many trees!
If it is not bark, I ask again: what is nourishing you right now?
The Slow Academic 
Lots of outdoors for me. But I also have been trying again to have a bit of my morning to myself; sometimes I lie in bed and read a chapter or two from a book while drinking my coffee, or a tarot reading, maybe write in my journal, or all three if I have the time. if I don’t have a lot of time, I take a moment to light my candle while setting an intention for the day (yesterday I set my intention for the week to be to manifest abundance) and let it burn while I got dressed for the day. The deliciously energizing smell of my candle (bergamot) really starts my day off well.
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Wonderful to hear how you are making thinking about intentions a daily and weekly practice!
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Yes back to you on co-leading the MOOC Contemporary approaches to university teaching!!
and…
* Reflective practice – practising and generating new scholarly resources with great colleagues
* Research on learning and teaching – also with valued colleagues.
The theme emerging is the people – good colleagues nourish me.
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I like your focus on the nourishment provided by colleagues. So important. There was a piece in Campus Morning Mail today on academic friendships: https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/pal-up-like-penguins-the-experience-of-academic-friendship/
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