Day 21: Thank you and farewell

On Friday, Augusut 21 we celebrated our last day of our immersion program at Tryon Life Community Farm. How bittersweet 'twas! Bitter to have come to an ending to such a great time. Sweet to share our satisfaction for what we've done. And as we learned from Melissa, bitter and sweet and all the other flavors of life all have their purpose. There is a time for everything, and the ending is just the beginning of the next phase.

So we began the day with a morning circle and then with individual exit interviews with Brenna and Laura. In our interviews we provided helpful feedback about the program and discussed the specific steps in our personal action plans. After lunch, we gathered in the sacred maple grove to share our next steps with each other. We created a powerful, supportive space in order to give strength to our intentions.

In the evening was a celebratory pizza party and bonfire. After eating, we interrupted the party briefly to take a trek into the woods where our three weeks came to a culmination in a closing ceremony of sorts. We walked silently to a very special place and partook in a symbolic demonstration of our personal growth during this time. During this experience, the deep connection that we've developed with each other and with the Earth came alive.

At this point, I feel that words do not quite tell our story, but what more have we than words? Some photos may help, but they can not show what's in our hearts; for in our hearts, we are creating our lives and worlds anew with each beat. This newness, this transformation is personal and unique for each one of us, but for three weeks our hearts were brought together as one. I hope that this blog has given a glimpse of what that means. For us "inter-beings" - may we read these posts and remember. For all the rest - may you read, learn and be inspired to learn more.

One more thing I'll add: after our journey into the woods, we came back to the bonfire, where Jes Karper was playing some tunes on the guitar. One of the tunes he sang was "Tryon Life." You can have a listen if you scroll to the very bottom of the Tryon website - perhaps if you listen close, you just may hear us singing along...

"Tryon life, it fits like a glove and feel what it's like to be free
Try breathing and seeking to be an instrument of love and encourage one another on the journey
Give thanks to the land and the sky up above and pour your energy into building a community"





















And on Saturday, we all came back into the city. Some of us will stay in Portland, to live or to visit for some time more; some of us have begun the journey back to our homes. If you notice a glimmer in our eyes, or a dance in our steps, it may be because we're remembering what we learned...




Many thanks and much love to all who have made this happen. And as you may have heard said: merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.

-Nick