What I've learned, What been new Part II

So I had a list of all the new things that I'd done through the first half of the summer. Here is my list of the things I'd done through the second half.

1. Been in a parade- on the fourth of July, I was on a float in the photo are both the float and the creator. I was a lifeguard and I stood on the back of the Water Theme golf cart and had "LifeGaurd" written in marker on my chest.

2. Wore a designer swimsuit- actually it was my first designer anything, but after I lost my bathing suit, I was given one of Alex's to wear around. I felt pretty J-crewish.

3. Burned my clothes- damn fourth of july sparklers.

4. Started a charcoal grill!!!- ok, so I know it's pretty easy but that is so huge for me.

5. Jumped off a bridge- I jumped off the 15 foot bride, but the 25 foot cliff the day before was much more intense.

6. Flipped off a bridge- Don't ever do that. That was a month ago, and my neck still hurts. Seriously, it was awful.

7. Poured a cup of coffee- yeah, that's right. I don't drink coffee and if I ever had some, it was already in a cup. I had to pour it for someone. It was big time.

8. saw a black bear- so this has been on my wish list for about 3 years, and I finally saw one as I came back from Kineo.

9. hiked alone in a national park- Acadia national park was gorgeous. Next time I'll remember just to hike and not to go into town.

10. camped by myself- It was actually car camping, but it was still new either way.

11. fished on the open ocean- The waves were huge and yet they were just normal.

12. saw seals- Dozens of seals! All along the Kennebec, it was awesome.

13. rode on a horse bareback- it was slightly uncomfortable. but i felt like a real Indian (i.e. First Persons of the North American continent).

14. rode backwards on a horse.

15. Dug up potatoes- seriously, whoever decided to pull up the first potato? The plants are completely unassuming.

16. went to connecticut- my 5 great grandfather lived there. his house is now a starbucks.

17. went to a sandy beach in the north- I jumped in with James Mitchell the 11 year old and James Mitchell the almost 70-year old.

18. picked tomatoes- Emily was very glad that I'd get to do this.

19. brewed beer- The homemade beer of Kevin Spigel is amazing.

20. ate apples off the tree- they are yummy. just watch for worms.

21. went fly fishing- I have a whole new love for fishing. probably because...

22. caught a fish while fly fishing-


I loved the action the fly rod. you feel much more than on other poles I've fished with.

23. cantered a horse- Oh. My. God. It was awesome! Thanks Bugsy. I had to use so much leg and then it was like it just stared to happen and we were thundering down the fence line. It was awesome!

24. fallen in love with Maine all over again.

What I've learned:
All the horses names; how to throw hey, all the color buckets of the horse feed, how to groom a horse, how to ride a horse, how to fly fish, how to tie a fisherman's knot, homemade beer is the best, you can eat apples off the trees, i like country music, if you're around pre-teens you'll learn all the latest pop songs, how to dig potatoes, putting the roof down on the a bug convertible reduces gas mileage, i could be a good museum idea person, horses are awesome to get to know and have their own personalities, clothes stink after you muck stalls, Libby Mitchell will be an extremely competent governor, I could live in Maine (at least for summers!)

My summer of Be(long)ing

Disclaimer: I consider myself to be semi well-adjusted to daily interactions, though I do probably overthink them as much or more than everyone else. But there is also an internal dialogue that is occurring at all times in which I'm trying to gauge my reactions to things and so this means that I've found use in a variety of different "languages" in order to create a coherent understanding of the parts of myself that are helpful to put into boxes (i.e. what drives satisfaction, what things frustrate me, what sort of systems help me ground myself, self-acceptance, etc.)
So that means that this entry could seem disjointed, and that's fine.

When I went back to college, I had the most incredible perspective. My grades from Davidson had become irrelevant, and so all of a sudden, the most damning, or uplifting, markers of the college experience had suddenly been revealed to be a little less powerful and permanent. So I just wanted to go learn, to explore and experience.
Well, three semesters later and I'm pretty much back into the old groove. I want to do well in school and be able to see it in my grades. I want to have my college success boost me into a career.

Now, I have lived through this summer, and it's kinda fun to realize that I'm going to go back to my last semester with that same fresh enthusiasm and unique set of expectations that I had not very long ago. You see, I think I'm beginning to realize that the greatest accomplishment and intelligence for me revolves around the ability to live in community and companionship with others.
It's the whole "we are social creatures" idea that I'm going to try and appreciate while at school. In fact, and I already knew this, my interests and thoughts constantly revolve around what it feels like to be a person within the context that surrounds me and others. And it has taken this summer for me to feel re-inforced in that that effort in clear ways and for discernible reasons.

So, I've been do-ing a lot of work on the farm and I do a lot of work at school, but there is much more be-ing in relationships than doing. Do-ing is only a part of belonging to a community and be-ing in relationship. And this summer has reminded me of that. That's why it has been my summer of be(long)ing.