Welcome to Learning Event #7 (#LE7) for #WalkMyWorld 2021. In this journey we’ll think about the story of you…told from past, present, and future.
#WalkMyWorld #LE7 –
Where I’m Going
Life must be lived forwards. We have the opportunity to survive, succeed, and achieve.
On a daily basis, we’re buffeted by the trials and tribulations that life has in store for us. We all deal with these challenges in our own ways. Some of us internalize it and hunker down. Some of us ignore it and move on.
An example of this is found in Juicy by The Notorious B.I.G. The clean version of Juicy is here.
The song is a modern bildungsroman of a young, black man growing up in Brooklyn. “It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up! Magazine,” he recalls about his life. “I made the change from a common thief/To up close and personal with Robin Leach.”
The quintessential rap Cinderella tale speaks to universality in life. Whether you grew up in the belly of Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood, or out on the farm, you experience your own daily struggle. This uplifting message of perseverance, of better days, still resonates.
Amanda Gorman shares a story from her past about putting yourself out there, trying your best, and ending up where you’re meant to be. The full text for Roar is here.
WRITE
Some of us…realize that we are awesome.
Poet and storyteller Sekou Andrews captures this mindset in his piece, The Awesome Anthem.
In The Awesome Anthem, Sekou reminds us that we have a choice in the decisions and the paths that we choose for ourselves. We also have an opportunity to decide what reactions and responses we’ll have to the world as we interact and connect. We have the opportunity to believe and achieve.
What does the future hold for you? Where will you be in 5 years? Where will you be in 10 years?
What do your dreams and aspirations say about this future? How do you see your future unfolding, and how willing are you to take detours along the way?
Craft a response to these thoughts and queries using any medium or mode that works for you. Over the past two months, we’ve played with text, images, video, and audio. Play, explore, and express yourself using what fits the best.
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
Søren Kierkegaard
CONNECT
After you finish your poem…share this out with others.
You should share this out on Twitter as Write.As using the hashtag #WalkMyWorld. You should also include the hashtag #LE7 to indicate your response to this learning event.
Write a poem that shares your thinking about where I’m going. Share your poem as a Google Document ready for feedback.
Present your piece in our semi-private group in Flipgrid. Send me an email and I’ll bring you in.
Enjoy and connect with each other online.
Graffiti flickr photo by Bombendrohung shared under a Creative Commons (BY-ND) license
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
