A visitor to camp
I am not use to owning a business where others work under me. Our school has hired 4 employees to teach outdoor skills and 7 apprentices to help out as they learn. All of our employees and apprentices are great people and we are so lucky to have them. One of the young men who co-teaches our Three Day Wilderness Survival course called me early Friday morning--and when I say early, I mean EARLY, right around 1:00am. His wife was going into labor two weeks early. I told him to be with his wife and don't even think about his job until everything was well with both mother and child.
< For those who may be curious, mother and child are doing fine and their little girl decided to wait a bit longer before she blesses us all with her presence.>
The problem is he was planning on going out THIS last weekend on a three day course. I only had two classes planned this weekend, Cider Making and Fermenting 101. Both of those classes can be taught by others but there are only a few of us that can teach the 3 day course. I had to round up two people to teach my other classes and then cancel the rest of my weekend to teach the 3 day course. Aaarrrggg!
But that's a responsibility for those who own or co-own their own business.
...and autumn olive to eat.
Plenty of wild grape...
Needless to say, nothing else was accomplished around the farm but I was privileged to be a part of a small group of people's Art of Nothing weekend. Twelve of us went out into the woods with nothing more than the cloths on our back and worked WITH nature for three days. For many this is a life altering event, helping them to see past the veil that a modern society puts up to separate us from our own power.
Different handholds for bow-drill fire sets
We are all strong enough to come together and live in harmony. Sometimes all we need is a small nudge to see how truly powerful we all are. We are so often judged by what we HAVE or DON'T HAVE but in the end we can all change the world one person at a time. Here is a story about a man who, having lost his wife, needed to do SOMETHING to make life worth living.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57428413/ohio-widower-paints-the-town-to-make-it-a-brighter-place/
Instead of going out and buying more stuff, he began paint his town, one lamp post, one fire hydrant, one house, one business at a time. He is a true inspiration to us all, for from his soul he is changing the way people see his world. We all have this power, all we have to do is remember that.
False Solomon Seal dying back-perfect for root harvest
One of the joys of teaching this course, where we learn to make fire, build shelters, find food, purify water...with just our own two hands, is seeing people who thought of themselves as just cogs in the wheel suddenly see just how great they are. As much as I would have loved getting more done around the farm this weekend, I am so glad to have been a part of these people's rediscovery of themselves. I thank these wonderful people for letting me see that joy. Going out on one of these courses is like entering into another world, one where it is the individual and the group together that can survive. There is no separateness, no loneliness, and no competition. We all must work together to survive and we all must bring out our talents as individuals.
Wonderful weekend. Thank you
P.S. I haven't had a shower in three days, I'm off for a long soak. LOL
I hope you enjoyed your soak, you earned it!
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring, thank you.