By Andrew Law
Director of international and off-campus programs
Reprinted from the Boynton Society Newsletter, a publication for supporters of Björklunden vid Sjön.
The other day a student poked her head in my door to ask if we could set up an appointment to discuss off-campus study options. As I pulled up the scheduling program on my computer, the student reached into her backpack and pulled out her Palm Pilot. We conferred for a few minutes, testing out many possibilities, only to discover in each case a conflict with one or another of her regularly scheduled activities: three classes, an internship, intramural and intercollegiate sports, and so on. I ultimately met with her before normal business hours so that she wouldn't need to wait two weeks for an appointment.
While it might seem unusual for a 19 to 21-year-old college student to be so highly scheduled, I have to report that it is all too often the case, although admittedly not always to the degree of this particular anecdote. It is partly a cultural shift, a result of the hyper-scheduled, plugged-in lifestyle that now seems a normal part of growing up in middle-class America. It is also simply a result of the great number and variety of activities Lawrence offers its students. Whatever the cause, however, it seems that time for reflection is getting short shrift on students' schedules.
Happily, that is precisely what a retreat to Björklunden vid Sjön provides.
Walking in the door at Björklunden on a Friday evening transports students to a place that is not business-as-usual. There is the quiet of the woods that envelope the lodge, the sheer beauty of the lodge and its Great Room, and, on moonlit nights, the shimmering water of the lake. There is also the snack laid out on the dining room counter, with its implicit invitation to sit down, stay awhile, and chat a bit. But if this were the extent of things, then any student who had ever been to a lakeside resort with his or her parents would feel at home.
It is really the infamous red table and Björklunden staff member Ben Meyer's welcoming speech that serve to introduce students to the full "Björklunden Experience." Ben shares a brief history of the Boynton family and the estate, highlighting the spiritual solace the family found in this place. Then, pointing out the red table, he informs the students that, possibly unbeknownst to them, they have joined a weekend-long experiment in communal living. The red table holds the sheets to sign up for meal preparation and clean-up, as well as for Sunday lodge clean-up responsibilities. Just as the Boyntons invested time and work in building their lovely refuge, so the students have to work with their minds and hands to create their retreat weekend.
The moral of the story is, of course, that finding the time for reflection in our lives requires conscious effort. The "Björklunden Experience" transforms students not only through its serenity of place but also through the example of the Boyntons' loving work to create that place. Our hope is that the hands-on spirit of Björklunden will inspire them to continue investing the time and energy to explore new possibilities for their personal and intellectual lives.
Or perhaps, on a somewhat less spiritual plane, the weekend at Björklunden might teach them only that some time away, with a balance of thinking, manual labor, and free time, is a worthwhile thing. My hunch is that many of our students will soon find themselves drawn back to Björklunden to explore that idea a bit further. In the end, that choice is the critical first step on the lifelong reflective journey in which a liberal arts education engages us, even if it must be scheduled on a Palm Pilot two months in advance.