5. Thank you, Mr Perkins.
Some weeks ago, I described feeling lost in my direction because of some feedback that I was not expecting. The feedback was - and still is - incredibly motivating. At the same time, it was - and still is - overwhelming. As is often the case when my ground shakes, I went into a freeze state. The challenge for me was not to freeze for too long.
And so I picked a path to follow. I suspected it might not be the right path, but it felt more important to move than not. That path has been tiring to walk. Oh, I hear my inner critic (a grizzly bear, according to the outcome of a personal development discussion earlier this week). "Has it?", my bear is challenging me. "Like walking moorland" is my internal reply. I don't particularly enjoy walking moorland. It makes my calves hurt! It needs me to look down more, concentrate on my footing so that I don't injure ankles. It goes on and on and on and progress is slow.
But then, sometime this week ... I got to a signpost. Empowerment (Perkins, 2010). Almost instantly, I was teleported off the metaphorical moorland, on to a beach front promenade.
I get in touch with something in me at the beach. I have a somatic response to the never-stopping waves on the shoreline in the foreground which are in balance to the expansiveness of the colour of the sea merging with the colour of the sky. When I walk or sit by the sea, I get a sense of endless possibilities at the same time as a groundedness from memories of happy childhood trips. Whether the sun or the wind is in my face, I feel more alive. All be it for a short period of time, the connection is all-encompassing.
I know this sounds incredibly romantic, but Perkins' chapter on Empowerment gave me this experience that reminded me of walking/sitting by the sea. Honestly, it did! It refocused me on the possibilities of what (my) research might contribute towards. It made me excited about what else I might read. I don't feel as lost as I did before and it has given me sustainance to come home and get on with getting on. I am excited about my research again.
Thank you Mr Perkins.
Bibliography
Perkins, D.D. (2010). Empowerment. IN R.A. Couto (Ed.), Political And Civic Leadership: A Reference Handbook (pp. 207-218). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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