Palmer's Struggle For Solitude And A Need For Community

The insight from the Palmer text that I found to be most profound was the idea that we both had a need for solitude and a need for community, but the profound part was the idea that we could have them both together. As this idea is a paradox it was difficult to at first understand how we could have both these ideals simultaneously. Palmer spends an entire chapter explaining how we can be alone together. Palmer states, “we need both the interior intimacy that comes with solitude and the otherness that comes with community” (p. 54). As a natural introvert it was not until later on in life that I discovered a strong need for a sense of community. Having been an introvert my entire life I had no idea how to build community, it turns out those

In my work we call this “self-care” and I am notoriously bad at it. It has been on my employee evaluation for the last four years. Palmer speaks on the importance of creating time for yourself, and even brings up the question “Am I busy? Of course I am. Am I too busy to live my own life?” (p. 72). This is something that I have struggled with especially the past two years having also been in a doctor program. My greatest fear is that even when the doctor program ends I will still struggle with this. How do I decide what is important enough give it my time, my effort, and my whole energy? How come I cannot come to the understanding and practice that giving time to myself is equally if not more important than giving my time to others. How do I prioritize me? Lately, I have felt a strong need to have a connection to nature, spending weekends doing homework in my office does not give me much free time to just be. I have to prioritize me, if I want to be able to be my authentic self, and work in a helping

Palmer states, “Good work is relational, and its outcomes depend on what we are able to evoke from each other.” (p. 109). This statement rang so true for me. So much of what I do every day is dependent on the relationships that I build, whether it be with a youth, or a co-worker, or a parent, or a teacher. My success, their success, and the success of the community is dependent on the ability to build strong relationships, which is a lot of pressure. Often for me, the pressure is overwhelming. I see how this come so natural to others, and I feel like I have to work so hard at it. But I so agree with Palmer, good work is relational! Just like anything else in my life if it is worth doing in life it is worth practicing in life. While I don’t know how I will change this in both my professional and personal life, I do know that I can make a stronger effort to value it, and I give myself time to build the skills to improve on