A Sunday sentiment on urgency.
Two days ago, we re-opened after yet another whirlwind two-week project closure—chaos, volunteers, machines, destruction, and creation.
Why so much urgency for a place that’s naturally pretty magical as it is?
A fair question. Slowness, after all, is what this land embodies best.
Four years ago, during opening week, a kind young woman, traveling alone, challenged us to marinate on the true essence of why we exist and who we serve.
Ever since, we’ve felt an urgency to live up to the answer she deserved.
Our answer, sadly, was not her experience…
We noticed one of our first camp groups ever unloading quite a haul of booze. As a new business, we wanted to be everything for everyone, and while we’ve always been an alcohol-free space, we felt pressured to give this group a pass.
We wanted to be liked.
“So”, we said, “just keep it under control”
“No problem”, we were told, hearing laughter as we walked away.
Over the next few hours, one drink gave way to two, then three, and then all.
At some point, late in the night, that young woman approached the group, reminded them of the guidelines, and requested that they wind things down.
After responding with laughter, they opted to rev things up.
The rest, you can imagine, is a story as unoriginal as ever.
What that group didn’t understand, and what we would learn the next morning, is that the woman was in the throws of dealing with cancer.
With tears on her cheeks, she told us she came here BECAUSE of our guidelines, not DESPITE them.
She came here to feel safe, peace, rest, and healing.
“You need to make a choice,” she said, having seen us fail to show the integrity of our promise.
"Who are you in business for?"
The answer was so clear—"You and your healing".
That day, and ever since, we will always bet on the cancer survivor, the grieving parents, the suicidal teen, the celebrating mothers-to-be, the ladies' book club last night, and the infinite number of humans dealing with the impossible things nobody will ever see.
Urgency settles in right when purpose and clarity take root.
We feel an urgent sense to be the space she needed then and the one you may need now.