When I am camping, I can always tell when I have had enough, when it is time to go home - I start to dream of sitting in a real chair! I carry around with me a canvas thing that allows my back to be supported while sitting on the ground but after 10 or so days my back is begging for a real chair. Right on schedule I started to have that dream.
By July 6th, people are starting to pack up and usually by the 7th most of the kitchens have started to come down. All of that stuff that was carried up the trail, now needs to be carried back down it. Every bit of string or rope, every log or pole used to hold up a tarp, every stone used to dig hold up a grate and every hole must be filled in. It is a huge amount of work and people stay around for another 2-3 weeks doing cleanup, re-seeding the trails and making sure that all of the shiiters are filled in. Sally says it is the best part of the Gathering. It is during cleanup that the Family really demonstrates it commitment to the land and to each other.
On the 6th I moved my stuff to the other side of the Gathering and put up my tent near Sally's tepee. There was a little bit of stuff ready to be carried to the van so I made 1 or 2 trips to the van which was parked a bit further away than I thought it would be. That evening I sat around another campfire and talked to some young folks about the Gathering and about their plans for the rest of the summer and into the fall. Talking to the young, frequently first time Gatherers, is one of the roles that I have fallen into. I think they think that I am one of the old timers, and it is rare that they get chance to talk to them so they are always delightfully polite and receptive my suggestions that they can carry the Rainbow Way home with them by saying thank you to bus drivers and store clerks, by holding doors open for people, and by picking up garbage that they see on the sidewalk. Simple things that remind them that we are all connected and that we all have the responsibility to share what we have and to be kind to others and the environment. Pretty simple stuff - but it seems to sound a chord within them.
Around the fire there were two or three young people who were, I think, Israeli,. They danced and sang some songs in Hebrew. They were rather shy but it was fun to watch them. I met one young man who had just finished a liberal arts degree at an American college. He wanted to be a writer but he didn't know how to start or what to write. I suggested that he write about the campfire, the songs and the conversations - just like I am doing. He said that that sounded almost too easy.... I said it might be harder than he thought. I hope he does write, he had some interesting thoughts.
The next morning I was up early and as Sally's workers got their stuff together, I carried it to the car. It was a long day as I made at least 4 trips to the car carrying bags, drums (all three of them), guitar and mandolin. One of the workers had a pack that was almost as tall as her. I could not lift it on to my back. It was a blow to my male ego but I told her that she was on her own with that one. I think I am almost at that point in my life where I don't care if people think that I am weak. Thankfully the last load of stuff ( including the big pack) was carried on some one's wagon. I was more than a little bit thankful. I was beat.
It took awhile for everyone to say good-by but we were out of there long before I thought we would be.It was tough for some of the older members of the Family. Some of them are ill and they are all ageing. They might not all be back next year.
It is a strange feeling to leave a Gathering. For many, so much energy has been invested in getting there, setting up and participating in a life that most can only dream about. For a week or ten days, we get to belong to a family, a community that for the most part genuinely cares about all of its members. We get to work with, hang out with, become close to hundreds of people - all of whom have a common vision. Some articulate the dream better than others, some only know they need or want something different that what is available in that world that the Family calls Babylon. But we are all there because we have a commo
n yearning of what the world could be - should be. But many of us who are there also are tired and rather desperately need a shower and a soft bed. So we leave the Gathering, promising to come back home next year. It always sad to leave and I think most of us cry at some point.
By July 6th, people are starting to pack up and usually by the 7th most of the kitchens have started to come down. All of that stuff that was carried up the trail, now needs to be carried back down it. Every bit of string or rope, every log or pole used to hold up a tarp, every stone used to dig hold up a grate and every hole must be filled in. It is a huge amount of work and people stay around for another 2-3 weeks doing cleanup, re-seeding the trails and making sure that all of the shiiters are filled in. Sally says it is the best part of the Gathering. It is during cleanup that the Family really demonstrates it commitment to the land and to each other.
On the 6th I moved my stuff to the other side of the Gathering and put up my tent near Sally's tepee. There was a little bit of stuff ready to be carried to the van so I made 1 or 2 trips to the van which was parked a bit further away than I thought it would be. That evening I sat around another campfire and talked to some young folks about the Gathering and about their plans for the rest of the summer and into the fall. Talking to the young, frequently first time Gatherers, is one of the roles that I have fallen into. I think they think that I am one of the old timers, and it is rare that they get chance to talk to them so they are always delightfully polite and receptive my suggestions that they can carry the Rainbow Way home with them by saying thank you to bus drivers and store clerks, by holding doors open for people, and by picking up garbage that they see on the sidewalk. Simple things that remind them that we are all connected and that we all have the responsibility to share what we have and to be kind to others and the environment. Pretty simple stuff - but it seems to sound a chord within them.
Around the fire there were two or three young people who were, I think, Israeli,. They danced and sang some songs in Hebrew. They were rather shy but it was fun to watch them. I met one young man who had just finished a liberal arts degree at an American college. He wanted to be a writer but he didn't know how to start or what to write. I suggested that he write about the campfire, the songs and the conversations - just like I am doing. He said that that sounded almost too easy.... I said it might be harder than he thought. I hope he does write, he had some interesting thoughts.
The next morning I was up early and as Sally's workers got their stuff together, I carried it to the car. It was a long day as I made at least 4 trips to the car carrying bags, drums (all three of them), guitar and mandolin. One of the workers had a pack that was almost as tall as her. I could not lift it on to my back. It was a blow to my male ego but I told her that she was on her own with that one. I think I am almost at that point in my life where I don't care if people think that I am weak. Thankfully the last load of stuff ( including the big pack) was carried on some one's wagon. I was more than a little bit thankful. I was beat.
It took awhile for everyone to say good-by but we were out of there long before I thought we would be.It was tough for some of the older members of the Family. Some of them are ill and they are all ageing. They might not all be back next year.
It is a strange feeling to leave a Gathering. For many, so much energy has been invested in getting there, setting up and participating in a life that most can only dream about. For a week or ten days, we get to belong to a family, a community that for the most part genuinely cares about all of its members. We get to work with, hang out with, become close to hundreds of people - all of whom have a common vision. Some articulate the dream better than others, some only know they need or want something different that what is available in that world that the Family calls Babylon. But we are all there because we have a commo
n yearning of what the world could be - should be. But many of us who are there also are tired and rather desperately need a shower and a soft bed. So we leave the Gathering, promising to come back home next year. It always sad to leave and I think most of us cry at some point.
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