Cambrie Nelson

At a certain point, you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, the world, Now I am ready. Now I will stop and be wholly attentive. You empty yourself and wait, listening… You feel the world’s word as a tension, a hum, a single chorused note everywhere the same. This is it: this hum is the silence. Nature does utter a peep – just this one. The birds and insects, the meadows and swamps and rivers and stones and mountains and clouds: they all do it; they all don’t do it. ” ― Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters

Welcome to our campfire. As a Colorado-native, I spent ample time in nature watching rivers and stones interact. When we settled upon the headline question, “Is it better to be the river or the stone?” as it relates to identity, community, history, and belonging, I was reminded of this Annie Dillard quote. Similar to the quote, this Campfire experience has prompted me to do much more listening than speaking. I invite you to also listen to yourself and embrace the harmony and tension inherent to this question, AND (most importantly) to be like a river and a stone– being shaped by and doing the shaping of our evening together.