Writing is really a way of thinking — not just feeling but thinking about things that are disparate, unresolved, mysterious, problematic or just sweet. —Toni Morrison

Development Reflections

Reflections on the Big Picture

Yesterday you did some exploring using a popular psychosocial model of development. Today I'd like for you to explore what it was like to answer those questions. With these questions, you can be more reflective - starting and stopping as needed until you feel like you've answered to your own comfort.

You can answer one or more of these. Pick the ones that resonate for you. (If you are only going to pick one and can't decide, I'd encourage you to do the last one. I believe these pop up memories are telling us something important and I'd like for you to explore the meaning behind it if possible.)

Questions:

• You’ve done two “big picture” exercises in this course so far. Has taking this big picture view of your life opened you up to any new insights about your life and your story? What are those? What has it been like for you to recognize these things? How do these insights impact or change the story you may tell?
• In viewing your development, does your life feel like a winding road of good and bad phases? More good? More bad? Does this pattern surprise you?
• Did any new or semi-forgotten stories pop into your head while doing this exercise? What were those? Why do you think they came up? Do they tell us something important about your and/or your life?

StoryList

This exercise may have generated a story or two, but it may have also opened up some new perspectives and insights about your story. Write down anything in your StoryList that feels important. (If you didn't get anything out of today's exercise, that is fine too -- there are lots more!)

You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap... and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence. —Octavia E. Butler