Building Bridges Word by Word

Yesterday, a friend was searching for a poem to share with people who are training to be coaches—life coaches not football coaches. (Although come to think of it poetry for football coaches might be a good thing.)1

As I thought about it, I realized that when I need coaching, myself, (which is fairly often) it is usually because I am feeling stuck, confused, mired in. And what came to mind for me were these words from the farmer poet Wendell Berry’s poem, The Real Work.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.
— Wendell Berry, “The Real Work” from Standing by Words.

What straightforward but head-spinning, multi-layered words!

I've been musing about what Berry's words ask of me.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

If you're not confused, or baffled, your mind isn't working hard enough. Perhaps that's a way of saying that almost everything worth exploring is a complex system dynamic, and if we think things are simple we are really missing the richness of life. Our mind is being lazy; it is not employed.

One day when I was being particularly tickled by this line about not being baffled, (because I feel baffled by all kinds of things a fair amount of the time) a friend who had trained as a large animal veterinarian (and later became a coach) said, as if in passing: "For people who work with large animals, a baffle is part of the barn system that keeps air moving to keep the animals comfortable."

I love puns, so this really caught me. (I even searched out an article on increasing dairy cow comfort with baffles.) And then I thought about the deeper meaning one could take from my veterinarian friend’s observation: being baffled meant that we were less closed, that moving air, fresh air (and perhaps fresh possibilities) could get in, and we would stay healthier.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.

And finally the poet’s notion that the stream is singing because it flows over rocks and logs. Something is in the way. And moving over and around that impediment creates the music. Of our lives, perhaps. When we see pictures of beautiful streams, with the light bouncing off the moving water, they are not flat, easy going streams. Rather they are flowing over rocks and logs, around curves—impediments of all kinds. In the same way we experience bumps in our daily life. And what is the music? Perhaps our music is our creative capacity of all kinds—art, music, poetry, craft, design, innovation.

So today I am particularly grateful to Wendell Berry, farmer-poet and wise elder, for a reframe of life’s confusion, set-backs, bafflement, impediments and difficulties.

What’s Your Story?

Years ago, I made this video of the stream that flows by my family’s cabin. I turn to it when I need some peace and perspective, and want to feel the cooling mist of that mountain-fed water. Today, I thought we all could use such a refreshing break.

Wanting to find a few words to accompany the video, I typed in “poem, spring, running brook.” I found a lot of possibilities but none that really worked for me, for this post. I put my hunt to the side and returned to finalizing Judy Sorum Brown’s post, “There is a path.” I went to Judy’s website to check on some details for that post, and on a whim, opened her “Art and Spirit Blog” and found her essay, “Being Baffled.”

It was just what I was looking for.

In her blog post, Judy reflects on Wendell Berry’s poem, “Our Real Work.” It’s a short poem but each line is full with meaning. Here, I’ve shared her thoughts on just two of them, I invite you to go to her website for the rest of this essay, and to peruse her other posts and her poetry books.

Judy and I have a lovely and fruitful friendship, one that I’m delighted to continue here on Substack. I’ve known and worked with her for many years and had the great pleasure of editing her book, The Art and Spirit of Leadership, and including her poetry and reflections in the books I co-edited with Sam Intrator, Teaching with Fire, Leading from Within, and Teaching with Heart. (Building Bridges Word by Word is modeled after these books.)

Judy’s reflection of Berry’s poem makes the poet’s words come off the page and connect to her experience of the world. Through her words, we can see how the poem deepens her perspective of her life and work in ways that we can appreciate and maybe even identify with. Or maybe, you’ll find that the poet’s words take you in an entirely different direction. Each view adds to our understanding of the poem and gives us insights into our lives and that of others.

That’s what Building Bridges Word by Word is all about. Sharing reflections on poems (saying, quotes, and songs) that help us see what we may have in common or discover what we can learn from those who have different perspectives. Either way, we gain a better understanding of ourselves and each other - and can begin to build bridges across our divides.

What poem captures a moment of your life? What saying speaks for you? What quote asks the right questions and gives you some answers? What song gives voice to an emotion or experience?

Tell us about us about them in the comment below or send in your short reflection (up to 250 words) and we’ll post your story here and on Building Bridges Word by Word website. How to get started? Click on the button below for story guidelines, prompts, and the steps for submitting your reflection. Questions? Email us at mscribner.buildingbridgeswbw@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Share Your Story!