Reflection
Write a Reflection on your own transformative relationships (human or more-than-human)
Invitation:
Write one reflection, honestly and from experience.
Direction:
Choose ONE prompt style below, following its instructions. There are no “right” answers — go for clear, grounded thinking/expression and a generous attention to relationships.
At the end, you may choose to upload your reflection using our form to be considered for publication in our Zine, the Restoring Dawnland Dispatch Series. Or you can write in your own document or notebook for its own sake.
Length & time guidance
- Short reflection (quick): 200–300 words — ~20–30 minutes
- Standard reflection (recommended): 400–600 words — ~45–60 minutes
- Extended reflection (deeper): 700–1,000 words — ~75–120 minutes or more (optional)
PROMPT 1 — Personal Narrative
Prompt:
Tell the story of one relationship — human or more-than-human — that changed how you see your place in the world. Describe a moment or series of moments when that relationship taught you something important. What changed in you? What did you learn that you still carry?
Guiding questions:
- Who/what is the relationship with? (name or describe)
- When and where did a pivotal moment happen? Describe the scene.
- What did you learn? How did your behavior, feelings, or priorities shift?
- How might that learning connect to restoration or stewardship?
Starter sentence:
“The relationship that changed me most began when…”
Suggested length/time: 400–600 words / 45–60 minutes
Style tips: Keep it concrete — show sensory detail (sounds, smells, weather). Use first person.
PROMPT 2 — Place-based
Prompt:
Choose a place (riverbank, shoreline, forest, field, home) where you experience a relationship with a living being or place. Tell a short story about that place and the relationship that takes place there. As an extra challenge, try to link the story to one Peskotomuhkati idea from Experience 1 (e.g., stories as maps, relationships as governance).
Guiding questions:
- Name the place and describe its features.
- Which story or teaching from Experience 1 does this place evoke? (cite briefly)
- How does this relationship shape your obligations or actions toward the place?
Starter sentence:
“On the rocky edge of [place], I learned how to…”
Suggested length/time: 400–700 words / 45–75 minutes
Style tips: Use place-names and connect the personal to the Experience concept (stories, relationships, stewardship).
PROMPT 3 — Analytical connection (reflection + reasoning)
Prompt:
Reflect on a transformative relationship and analyze how it changed your thinking. Use terms from Experience 1 (e.g., “bioregion,” “stories as knowledge,” “relationships as protocol”) to explain the mechanism of change: what mental models shifted, and why?
Guiding questions:
- What did you think before, and what do you think now?
- Which ideas from Experience 1 help explain that shift?
- What practical actions or habits resulted from the change?
Starter sentence:
“Before this relationship, I believed X; now I find myself doing Y because…”
Suggested length/time: 500–800 words / 60–90 minutes
Style tips: Mix narrative with analysis. Cite an Experience 1 quote or idea to anchor your reasoning.
PROMPT 4 — Poetic / evocative (creative)
Prompt:
Write a short creative reflection (a micro-essay or prose poem) that evokes your relationship with a non-human being or place. Use imagery, metaphor, and rhythm to show what the relationship taught you, rather than explaining it directly.
Guiding questions:
- Choose 3 sensory images that capture the relationship.
- Use one repeating line or image to structure the piece.
- Close with a single concrete action you will take as a result.
Starter sentence:
“My hands remember the shape of water…”
Suggested length/time: 200–400 words / 30–45 minutes
Style tips: Focus on showing, not telling. This is an acceptable alternative to the analytic prompt — clarity of insight still matters when reason hasn’t got there yet.
PROMPT 5 — Multimodal (photo/audio + short reflection)
Prompt:
Upload one photo or a 60–90 second audio clip that captures the relationship (a place, an animal, an object). Then write a short reflection (200–350 words) explaining why you chose that media, what it captures, and what transformation it records.
Guiding questions:
- What does the image/sound show? What does it withhold?
- What moment does it point to?
- What did you learn and what action does it suggest?
Starter sentence:
“The photograph/audio shows… and it matters because…”
Suggested length/time: 200–350 words + time to record/photograph (~30–60 minutes total)
Style tips: Make the media clear and simple, no fancy editing is asked of you. But also, fill your boots. Caption and file label; include consent if others are present.
PROMPT 6 — Dialogic / Letter (to a relative, or more-than-human)
Prompt:
Write a short letter (300–600 words) addressed to the person/being with whom you share the transformative relationship — a mentor, the river, a sturgeon, or the bioregion in the future. Explain what you learned, ask one question, and state one promise you intend to keep.
Guiding questions:
- Who are you addressing and why?
- What do you thank them for or ask them?
- What promise will you make and how will you follow through?
Starter sentence:
“Dear [Name], thank you for teaching me how to…”
Suggested length/time: 300–600 words / 40–60 minutes
Style tips: Use respectful tone appropriate to the addressee; be specific about the promise.
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