A key idea from a religious service is that humans have memory, reason, and skill. Four months ago, I experienced those three up close, through interaction.

Let me begin with context and setting. An old college buddy who lives in another state invited me to a party with lots of people coming. As my schedule opened up, I decided to go, taking the bus for the long trip and an Uber for the local ride. I also reserved a room at a nearby motel for the night.

On the evening of the party, I took an Uber from the motel to the party. I was a bit uncertain about how I would get back a few hours later. The most likely option was to request another Uber through my phone app. A second option was to befriend someone at the party who would be willing to drop me off on the way home. A third, unexpected option popped up during the party. Someone explained that the rail trail was not too far behind the back of the property. I had jogged on the rail trail a few times a few years back, and I knew that once I got on that trail, I could find my way back to the motel.

As the sun set and dusk settled, I felt drawn to the third option: walking through the woods to the rail trail, which runs through the woods as well. When I told the host's son what I was about to do, he grew worried. He figured that I might get lost in the wilderness. I was still drawn to this route through the woods. I assured the host's son I would turn back if there were issues and text when I reached my destination.

Memory played a key role at the start of the trip, as I headed into the woods along a path I had encountered before. Before long, the path seemed to end, and I was unsure where to go next. Unable to rely on memory, I shifted to reasoning. Should I go back? Should I forge ahead? I decided to try some alternatives. After a bit of bushwhacking, I found myself back on a path about a minute later. It led to the edge of a field with fireflies. They were welcome helpers in my time of uncertainty and vulnerability. Each short-lived flash of light thrilled me. I soon reached a place I had never been before. With no memory to draw on, I turned to reason and, perhaps, skill. I turned on my iPhone flashlight and pointed it toward the ground. The light showed what was underfoot and a few feet ahead. I kept going in the general direction of the rail trail, and after about five minutes I found it. The pavement felt familiar because I had been on it on those early-morning jogs. I felt secure: even though I was still in a darkened wooded area with no lighting, I turned off the iPhone flashlight. My daughter called while I was on the wooded rail trail, and we talked as I walked. Her phone companionship added a layer of safety, even though geographically she was a few states away. I was not sure where to get off the rail trail. I sensed I was overshooting my motel, but I kept looking for a familiar landmark. Eventually, I reached the edge of a mall and found a cut-off from the rail trail to the mall property. I walked into the well-lit parking area behind the stores and figured I was about half a mile from the motel. The remaining distance should be no problem because I was now in spaces with ample lighting. I was relieved and thrilled. I stopped talking to my daughter on the phone and texted the host's son that I had made it; I was literally out of the woods.

So, what does this dusk walk into the woods, down the darkened wooded rail trail, to the well-lit mall parking lot have to do with a course experience at Reschooling Agency? I share for two reasons. First, I encourage people to go toward that which they are drawn, even if it seems uncertain and outside the norm. Second, the adventure can lead toward an interesting blend of map and territory. My map of the route was fuzzy at best, so I relied on this enduring combination of memory, reason, and skill. That got me through, and the experience, infused with thinking and interaction with the environment and others, felt fresh and alive.

Details about the upcoming course are below.

You can register yourself by clicking the URL at the bottom. If you want to register someone else, you have two options. One is to forward this newsletter to that person. The other is to pay for that person by checking the box labeled "This is a gift." Then enter the person's email, first name, and last name.

November Course— Updated Nature: Three Fundamental Tasks of Personal Development

Description— This Updated Nature course begins with a quote from the end of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s first book, Nature, published in 1836. This is a mere sentence from the last paragraph. It is not Emerson’s words; he is quoting a poet: “Every spirit builds itself a house, and beyond its house a world, and beyond its world a heaven.”

We will work on three tasks over the three weeks of the course. Two compelling Americans of the 18th century—Ralph Waldo Emerson and Sarah Josepha Hale—help to point the way. The first task is building a self-house; the second is building an expansive world that includes a key role for the self; and the third is building a heaven that, believe it or not, enhances the self and, most importantly, the world. The solutions are easily achievable yet also challenging. They will stretch our capabilities.

The course consists of three classes, each an hour long: the house-building introduction, the world-building middle, and the heavenly-building end.

Course Creator and Teacher—Robert L. Deming Teaching Assistant (TA)—Pearl McAndrews

Total Hours—3 Each Class—1 Hour

Schedule for Zoom Classes—

Wednesday, November 4th from 7-8 p.m. EST

Wednesday, November 11th from 7-8 p.m. EST

Wednesday, November 18th from 7-8 p.m. EST

Cost—$30

URL to Register—

https://reschoolingagency.thinkific.com/products/courses/ninthcourse