Lessons from Pudding Creek

When first arriving at what would become Refuge at Pudding Creek in Mendocino County, I was full of inspiration, enthusiasm and certainty about what to do and how to do it. I had lofty ideas about the whole thing: what it would look like to open a retreat center and how my life was going to be. It was an exciting time, full of synchronicities. Joyfully I plowed ahead with everything, putting plans into action.

After a short 6 months of being here, we had already hosted our first retreat and built raised beds to create the first garden on the hill above the house.

Then the pandemic hit.

Everything changed, and my ideas about the retreat center and any timeline projections completely evaporated. Lockdown was upon us, and even the beaches were closed.

It would be an understatement to say there was fear and uncertainty at that time. Do you remember?

Then, things changed and continued to change. Some of what happened was horrifying, but some of the changes ended up being fortuitous. Life was, and continues to be, a big mix that includes good and bad, joy and sorrow. Even so, the river of life kept flowing.

Refuge at Pudding Creek became "Pudding Creek". You can come for a group retreat or on your own. It is completely what I imagined and completely different too. We can't know the future.

Now, we are in another time of fear and uncertainty. On Wednesday morning, as my 7am yoga class started, I cried and I was not the only one. Most likely, some yogis were enraged, some shocked, or numb. It wouldn't surprise me if some were indifferent or maybe even happy.

We did yoga anyway, right in the middle of it all. What I mean is that we kept going towards what is important. We can take lessons from our ancestors who have fought for peace in times of war, who have fought for justice in times of oppression.

Resist the urge to tell yourself a black-and-white story about what is happening and what will happen (maybe consume less news/social media?) These times are heartbreaking, but there is still good and beauty. Life is always "all of the above."
 

Take care of yourself, my friends. Give yourself space to feel, but don't stop there. Reset and rebalance (yoga, meditation, & nature can help with this) and then keep going.

Make a pink pussy hat, help your neighbor, write an essay, join a movement, or clean up at your local park. Be an ally. Speak out. Show up. Make this world a better place. 
 

"Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fail. Always" 

Mahatma Gandhi