Vancouver Island

At the end of July I embarked on a journey of taking eight teenagers into British Columbia for two weeks. I will spare you the details of all the drama with the kids, and focus on what I got out of the trip. This was a "Gift Trip" in which students who are about to graduate give back to others. We volunteered at a Camphill Community for ten days. Camphill is a community for folks with special needs. It gives them the opportunity to be a part of a family, to work, socialize, and also learn new skills. We also spent three days in the delightful city of Victoria. We were fortunate enough to be there for their 150 year celebration. At Glenora Farm we made a great camp in a maple grove on the edge of their property. I was delighted to use all the gear I picked up in my years working at Climb Kalamazoo. I was so happy in my little tent. I had girls sleeping in tents on one side of me, and boys on the other. Most of the work we did to help the community was in the garden. They had meters of carrots and cabbage that were in desperate need of weeding. After that we moved on to harvesting garlic, which included pulling it out, braiding it, and then hanging it to dry in the barn. We picked buckets upon buckets of beans. Yellow beans, green beans, purple beans (that turn green when you cook them), and purple and yellow beans. And let us not forget the snow peas. I took great pleasure in weeding and harvesting in the garden. It was beyond relaxing to work outside for others with absolutely no pressure to get a certain amount of work done. Everything from one bean to 100 was appreciated. Unfortunately, my lower back did not quite agree with me. As the week went on and the farm was having trouble keeping up with the amount of food coming in from the garden I started to help in the house with processing the food. I helped my buddy Chris shred zucchini, snap beans, and string peas. I generally move pretty fast in in my thoughts and emotions on a daily basis. All that fell away for me at Glenora Farm. I moved slow, and I felt so light. No weight, no pressure. No expecations, except just to be present in the moment. My buddy Chris had the simple job of shredding zucchini. When he would finish some he would open the lid, look in and say, "Good job, Buddy" which a huge smile on his face. I can do a lot of things that Chris cannot do. I can speak in full sentences. I can run, I can read, I can write. I can get a college education. What I cannot do that Chris can do is look at my work, my performance and say with absolute, 100% satisfaction, "Good work." I am my worst critic. I create the weight I feel on a daily basis, I create all the expectations that surround me. I am not sure what magic resides at Glenora Farm that allowed me to let go and experience the lightness of being, but I am forever thankful.