{"id":30041,"date":"2023-01-12T18:30:41","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T02:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=30041"},"modified":"2023-01-12T18:30:41","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T02:30:41","slug":"its-all-about-the-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/its-all-about-the-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s All About The Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

I buy books. Lots of books! I bought How to Read a Book<\/em>, by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren, decades ago. I don’t recall having ever read it. I laughed at the realization of having packed, unpacked, and repacked a book I had never finished over the course of five international relocations.<\/p>\n

I have questions. Many questions! Why did I buy this book? The simple answer is I wanted to learn how to read a book intelligently. Why did it take me 30-years to finish? At the time, I didn\u2019t need all it had to offer. Why did I keep it all these years? It held some promise for my future learning. Questions and books are great companions and guides for my journeying.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I read. I read a lot! I read for enjoyment, to learn something new, and to get my questions answered. As Adler points out, \u201cReading is all about asking the right questions in the right order and seeking answers.\u201d[1]<\/a> Often, a good read is about timing. Reading a text with questions in mind opens the door for meaningful connections.[2]<\/a> In choosing to read a book I am asking of it important questions. The journey is taking on the responsibility to answer the questions for myself.[3]<\/a> I have one overarching question of all the books I read. How will this book change me?<\/p>\n

I take notes. Too many notes! I get lost in them. I’m afraid of forgetting or missing something important. As I write, I see ten sticky notes, an appointment book, three journals, and a nearly filled spiral notebook within in my reach. Not to mention the notes on my phone! I see the truth behind Ahrens words, \u201c\u2026the everyday writing, the note-taking, draft-making. Like breathing it is vital.\u201d [4]<\/a> I feel like I am hyperventilating. I need to take slow deep breaths and pause long enough to notice what is truly essential to put on paper. Just as I learned to use breath to calm my body, mind, and spirit, I can learn to take smart notes in order to calm and organize my thinking. I am ready for a new and less frantic note-taking journey.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI think therefore I am\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rene Descartes<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I think. I overthink! My thoughts are not always helpful, engaging, or true. My thoughts are evidence of my humanity and part of who I am. If I don\u2019t share or question my thoughts, what am I? Who am I? Collecting my thoughts in writing connects me with myself and others. I’m curious about my critical thinking skills. To what extent do I conform? Am I willing to stand alone when facing criticism from others?[5]<\/a> Essay writing on a public blog feels risky. It puts my thoughts and maybe my existence out there for the world to see. I can be lazy with my thoughts. Writing offers me a still, quiet place to focus and think. Writing is a journey, an adventure into the unknown. I never know where I might end up. I may surprise or disappoint myself. I may enlighten or anger someone else. Writing reveals new paths of discovery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I like journeys. All kinds of journeys. Just as my yellowed and dusty copy of Adler has traveled across oceans with me, the reading, note-taking, and writing skills I continue to learn are part of my journey. This doctoral program is a journey filled with the promise of new discoveries about myself. There will be packing, unpacking, and repacking again. I set out in faith knowing I will be changed by the process and will arrive home more useful and prepared for the next one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> \u201cHow to Read a Book: The Ultimate Guide by Mortimer Adler,\u201d accessed November 2, 2022. https:\/\/fs.blog\/how-to-read-a-book\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Sonke Ahrens, How to Take Smart Notes, <\/em>ed. <\/em>Kathy Drouin-Keith. (Hamburg, Germany: Independently Published, 2022), 88.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Adler, Mortimer J. and Van Doren, Charles. 1967. How to Read a Book<\/em>: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading<\/em>. Rev. ed. (New York: Simon & Schuster), 15.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ahrens, How to Take Smart Notes<\/em>, 2.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools<\/em> (London, UK: Rowan & Littlefield, 2020), 25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I buy books. Lots of books! I bought How to Read a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren, decades ago. I don’t recall having ever read it. I laughed at the realization of having packed, unpacked, and repacked a book I had never finished over the course of five international relocations. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2503],"class_list":["post-30041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp02adlerahrenspaulelder","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30041"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30097,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30041\/revisions\/30097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}