A Personal Canon
I am not sure where I came across this on the web, maybe Kotkke, but the idea of a Personal Canon has stayed with me, begging me to write about my own Canon.
The quote below by David Cole is what captured my thoughts:
“These are the pieces that I find myself referencing regularly in my work life, the pieces I wish everyone would read. Big, small, philosophical, practical, and between.”
I think a Personal Canon is a great way to look backwards and forwards, like Janus does.
Cole has his set up within Quora, but I want to create something little easier to navigate and update. Perhaps another Tumblr?
I keep thinking about my grandpa’s old army chest that has random, yet personal and revealing, things waiting to equip me for a better understanding of who I am.
I also keep thinking about what am I leaving for my 50, 60, 70, 80…year old self to remind me of life lived that makes living so great.
Thinking about my kids when I am no longer around…my grandchildren…
I have many fond memories of both sides of my family: parents to third cousins. I know the big things: marriages, children, deaths, war. But I want to know more…I want insights, questions, and understandings from the cumulative lives of my family.
I am thinking about creating yet another Tumblr just for this project. I envision this as an ongoing journey.
What are your thoughts? What areas of one’s life should be included?
P.S. - As a teacher, I often talked about the metaphorical tool box, yet my tools are not in a single place, easily referenced. Maybe I should create a My Teaching Canon, too.
