Saturday March 6
Big Dream - the kind where you wake up, stagger to the kitchen, lean against the counter, and say WTH.
I was working at a ranch as the educational person, showing people what a ranch is like. It was a bit like a dude ranch because there were guest cabins, but it was a real working ranch. It was evening and pretty cool, so maybe late fall because I had on my barn jacket with fleece lining. People started showing up, asking for a place to stay. We could not send them away because it was late, and they arrived on foot (?). I was scrambling to find people a place to sleep. One group that was sitting around a campfire stopped me. A woman asked (very sincerely) if we really were this nice, or was it just part of our job. I knelt down beside them and said well, I have ups and downs just like everyone, but mostly I'm a nice person. They nodded, thinking about my answer. I was surprised at the question. Then another woman with several kids asked me if there was a place for them. She explained that she hoped her husband would come, but that he might not. Then he appeared and was a bit of a tough customer, but I knew it was a show for his wife and kids.
I found the ranch manager (who I know well in this life), and she had a clipboard with many pages of people who'd signed in. As I flipped through, I saw a few names of people I know. The manager and I were wondering where all the people came from and why all of a sudden. As we looked out, we saw more walking across a big field with flashlights, and others coming up the road in cars (a lot like the end of the movie, Field of Dreams). She went off to get the tents set up so we could accommodate more people.
My Take
I was doing work I love, much as I did before everything shut down - what it is like to live and work with the natural world. Many of the people were not from around here, and all were dazed and confused. I'm not even sure they knew how they got there. Once again, I'm reminded of the QHHT session where people were arriving to NE. The big thing to remember is that all they wanted was kindness and a safe place to stay. Everything else can wait.