You talked about the straitjacket of identity. I have been caught in the identity of college administrator for many years. Maybe it’s time to break out of this identity and try something new. If my college can’t create anything new, then maybe I can create something new in my life. If our students only seem to want a comfortable job in some corporation after they graduate, then perhaps I can differ from them and break out of my comfort zone to find work that is more meaningful for me right now. And perhaps a loving relationship to which I can devote more of my attention. And maybe I find the time to relate more closely to my two children before they leave home to find their own life.
So, yes, I would like to work with you and find out a bit more about myself. The person I really am right now, rather than just looking at the future and forgetting the present.”
Sonya is taking notes while Katherine speaks about the challenges she is facing. Sonya then sets aside her notepad and talks more about the approach she would take in working with Katherine. The session ends with a homework assignment: Katherine is to record a moment in her life during the coming two weeks (before their next session) when she feels particularly “sensitive” regarding something that is beautiful in her life. This could be physically beautiful, or it could be a moment of interaction with another person that is beautiful. Katherine is to record her own feelings upon encountering this beauty. She is also to note how this moment of beauty influences her sense of “being” in the world. Does she in any way feel that she is somehow different from her usual self during this moment of beauty. Katherine leaves this first session with a sense of intrigue regarding the journey she is about to take with Sonya as a guide.
Session Two
Katherine entered Session Two with several pages of a journal that she had filled with a description of a moment of beauty in her life. After being offered a cup of herbal tea by Sonya, Katherine settled in on a couch in Sonya’s office. For the first time, Katherine noticed the paintings and photograph on the wall opposite the couch. One of the paintings was of a very colorful mandala. The other painting was of a stern looking man. Kathrine asked Sonya about the man. Sonya indicated that this was a young Krishnamurti. Sonya then inquired about the homework assignment. Kathryn responded with enthusiasm:
“It was wonderful. I opened my journal for the first time in years and wrote down what I had observed and experienced. I purposefully took a walk around my college campus during my lunch break on Wednesday. I usually don’t take this break and spend it wolfing down a sandwich I picked up in the morning from our cafeteria. Between bits, I would be looking over budget sheets or reviewing an email from our president. My job is Vice President of Strategic Planning, which means that I am involved with everything and responsible for both everything and nothing. The joys of strategic planning !!
Well, on to my walk around the grounds of our campus. You know, it really is a beautiful campus. I rarely pause to appreciate the setting in which I am working. One of the remarkable places on our campus is a deep ravine. A bridge crosses the ravine. During the late spring, we actually have a lovely chorale festival with the male singers in our coral group singing on one side of the ravine to the female singers on the other side of the ravine. It is a lovely occasion.”
