{"id":13091,"date":"2015-07-01T02:11:28","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T02:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/challengedetroit.org\/blog\/marthacavazos\/?p=59"},"modified":"2015-07-01T02:11:28","modified_gmt":"2015-07-01T02:11:28","slug":"59-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/59-2\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in February, I shared a poem that had gotten me thinking and reflecting throughout the halfway point of my fellowship with Challenge Detroit. Now that we\u2019re on the brink of July and the final weeks of this experience, I thought I\u2019d share another favorite reflective poem of mine.<\/p>\n

What is there beyond knowing? Mary Oliver<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is there beyond knowing that keeps<\/p>\n

calling to me? I can’t<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

turn in any direction<\/p>\n

but it’s there. I don’t mean<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

the leaves’ grip and shine or even the thrush’s<\/p>\n

silk song, but the far-off<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

fires, for example,<\/p>\n

of the stars, heaven’s slowly turning<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

theater of light, or the wind<\/p>\n

playful with its breath;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

or time that’s always rushing forward,<\/p>\n

or standing still<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

in the same — what shall I say \u2013<\/p>\n

moment. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

What I know<\/p>\n

I could put into a pack<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

as if it were bread and cheese, and carry it<\/p>\n

on one shoulder,<\/p>\n

important and honorable, but so small!<\/p>\n

While everything else continues, unexplained<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

and unexplainable. How wonderful it is<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

to follow a thought quietly<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

to its logical end.<\/p>\n

I have done this a few times.<\/p>\n

\n

But mostly I just stand in the dark field,<\/p>\n

in the middle of the world, breathing<\/p>\n

\n

in and out. Life so far doesn’t have any other name<\/p>\n

but breath and light, wind and rain.<\/p>\n

\n

If there’s a temple, I haven’t found it yet.<\/p>\n

I simply go on drifting, in the heaven of the grass<\/p>\n

and the weeds.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As I think about this past year, I think about my need for resolution. \u00a0I remember my idea that the solutions and deliverables we created in both our host companies and in our Challenges would be implemented and solve problems. In reflection, here are some things that I know:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Diversity is important. Disclaimer: there is a lot to unpack in what this word actually means and implies. For now, I know that my life feels fuller with a diversity of experiences, relationships, and perspectives. Professionally, I\u2019m learning the value of diversity of community stakeholders and cross-functional teams. As we consider the future of Detroit, perhaps we can continue to commit to conversations and development that are inclusive, varied and therefore, diverse.<\/li>\n
  2. Self- care is important. While this year has been filled with the obligations of my role at Fiat Chrysler and my fellowship at Challenge Detroit, I\u2019ve been determined to carve out more meaningful, personal time for myself. And as I continue to spend more time exercising, cooking, reading, I learn how challenging the reality of self-care actually is. How can we create environments that are more conducive to wellness and self-care? In my opinion, this is a factor to consider in Detroit\u2019s landscapes.<\/li>\n
  3. Friendship is most important. Connecting with my fellow Fellows outside of our Friday workdays has been so foundational to my personal growth this past year. My peers in this cohort are energizing, challenging and inspiring, and I have felt constant gratitude for each of them throughout this experience. It is truly to the credit of the leadership at Challenge Detroit for bringing together such unique, genuine leaders. And again, to their credit that we have inevitably spent an enormous amount of time together in various social, cultural and volunteering events throughout the year. As a result, my community in Detroit has never felt stronger.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While we begin our final individual Impact Challenges in July, \u00a0I want to carry these reflections with me. I want to remember what I know, and let go of my need for resolution.\u00a0Some things may go on drifting in the wind and the weeds, after all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Back in February, I shared a poem that had gotten me thinking and reflecting throughout the halfway point of my fellowship with Challenge Detroit. Now that we\u2019re on the brink of July and the final weeks of this experience, I thought I\u2019d share another favorite reflective poem of mine. What is there beyond knowing? Mary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/252"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13091\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}