In times of crisis, what bubbles to the surface has more to do with the company you keep than the chaos you encounter.
Over the last 72 hours, we’ve confronted the question:“how will it feel when the hot water stops?”
The answer? Well, it felt exciting, unsettling, challenging, inspiring, & mostly fun.
Last Thursday, an engineering experiment lowered the Oneida Narrows to it’s lowest possible level. The test they say, is part of a study to see if the Narrows can support an additional reservoir below the dam. The answer to that question, which we hope is a resounding HELL NO, is beside the point.
With the water table dropped, a cavern was exposed deep inside of our source pond after it began to drain within hours. We had heard this happened once before but to see it in realtime was a type of hot springs business nightmare you simply can’t prepare for.
With our host Josh Dawson holding down the fort as chaos settled in, he, together with our carpenter Clark and resident yogi, Lindsay Dixon @thepackandthepractice signaled what kind of company this land keeps.
We tested ideas, triaged customers, floated solutions, and failed more than a time or two. Minutes turned to hours and hot pools turned to cold reminders. Reminders that we are NEVER IN CONTROL. That NATURE IS A MYSTERY. And that very few things are worth getting all worked up about.
So, rather than react with stress, our team lead with smiles. And guests?
Well, they were somewhere in the middle, but that’s to be expected. I mean, we are a hot springs after all… But a dose of flexibility goes a very long way and after 24 hours of problem solving, patient guests were gifted toasty water by a talented team of dreamers, schemers, and cross-your-fingers-believers.
With a solar-powered pump in place, we are happy to say that our 4 river-side pools are running as hot as ever. For the time being, in an effort to not push our luck, we are keeping our Gathering Pools empty.
In a way, they serve as an almost beautiful silent reminder how just how lucky we all are to begin with.
So, the next time the pools of your life start to drain, remember, it isn’t the chaos that matters, it’s the company you keep.