A Wider Horizon

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

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The eyes experience less stress when they can look upon a wider horizon. – R.D. Chin

On Choosing a Wider Horizon

A wider horizon says, “yes.”

So much of life is about, “no.” No can be a safe, protective and necessary space. Sometimes saying “no” is wise. I want to suggest “no” can be born of doubt, fear and cynicism. “No” can be a path to staying stuck, angry, and alone. Saying “yes” can bring clarity from confusion, connection from isolation, and opportunity from a dead end. A wider horizon can help us choose between “yes” and “no.” Discernment through action is key.

A wider horizon frees imagination.

We don’t talk enough about the power of imagination. Words like inspiration and vision and insight can be lost in conversations devoid of heartbeat and tears and soul. Imagination is about innovation and creativity and experimentation – that flexible space between what is and what can be. That is powerful. A wider horizon frees the mind to explore possibility rather than limitation, to expand rather than contract, to be generous rather than selfish, to be big rather than small.

A wider horizon invites others in.

We are stronger when we share the load. Our shoulders are broader. Our hearts are softer. Our steps are surer. Most of all, when we share the load we are participating in the basic thing we must do – love one another. That is huge. Inviting others in can be difficult because it may mean we wade into the waters of forgiveness, vulnerability, and conflict. These are rough and meaningful waters. Ultimately, inviting others in means we love living things, including all the unpredictable, grief producing, uncertain, topsy turvy, amazing, awe inspiring, breath stealing, magical parts of being alive. That is a wider horizon.

A wider horizon gives hope.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of a wider horizon is the hope that it provides. Think about a sunrise or sunset. Think about the dream that lives patiently, or perhaps urgently, in our heart. Think about the first thoughts that happen in the morning before doubt and noise rush in. Think about the things we learn from mentors and elders. Think about people that go after what they want. A wider horizon is about all that.

https://kitt.global/june-19-a-wider-horizon-mark-nepo-the-book-of-awakening/