"Here, near, black water/
Divine is/ dangling from every branch, black water/
Swallow up our hollow fears/
Steer us on, unphased"
-MaMuse
I gazed up at the dark, rainy heavens, stars barely peaking out from coastal mist, and sobbed "thank you" to the Universe.
As I pedaled back to my base camp, a warehouse/jewelry studio on N Street, I sang Chico duo MaMuse's "Red Bird", a song that continuously becomes more and more meaningful to me. It is a song I played during my first pre-trip breakdown a month before my departure, as I sit on the windowsill and hyperventilated, surrounded by the overgrown plants that hugged the walls of the house I called home.
Still, I sing it. Without any music to listen to for the first week and a half of my trip (for no obvious reason, my mp3 player became dysfunctional 2 days before I left) I sang to myself as my primary on-bike entertainment, and often "Red Bud" left my heart through my lips.
"Faith, faith we come from miles around/
Just to hear that precious sound/
Of harmony, from the mouth of the fool"
Tonight, I sang that song again, for new and deeper reasons.
"Fool, fool who is the innocent/
Courageous words are heaven-sent, to remind/
Strike the chord while it's hot/
Lead us to that sacred spot/
Where believe it or not, we are found"
I came to Arcata less than a week ago.
I wanted to spend a little time here so that I could get to know the place so many have called 'progressive'. I thought I would get to know its progressiveness by touring its wastewater treatment marsh, visiting the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT), and by observing its famous plaza.
And while I did all of those things, the phone call I made on my first day here changed the shape of my week exponentially.
When I visited Humboldt County with my room mates a month ago, I came across the Northcoast Environmental Center's (NEC) office near the plaza, and saw that an event called the All Species Ball would be taking place during my stay.
This Monday, I called NEC's volunteer coordinator, Lisa, about getting involved with NEC during my stay. She told me, "Your timing could not be better" with a mixture of surprise and glee in her voice.
I told her that I didn't intend to spend my week lazing around on the beach. I'm not that kind of person, and I didn't decide to take a year off of school to become that person, either. I left school because I didn't believe I was helping anyone by poring over books or regurgitating information. I left school to learn, to grow, and to contribute wherever help is needed. (Read about a hero of mine I have yet to meet: http://www.lostvalley.org/talkingleaves/node/114)
This turned out to include participating in CCAT's Volunteer Friday for a a few hours, and helping the NEC prepare for last night's All Species Ball, in total some 20 hours of service.
For the event, a fundraiser and celebration for the environmental coalition established back in 1971, I made 2 wooden signs that ideally will be used for years with minor touch-ups, tabled at the NEC's booth at the County Fair, and because the girl originally signed up to paint kids' faces at the booth had canceled for the morning/afternoon shift, I was able to try my hand at face painting on fidgety children. Enjoying that experience, and wanting to help out at the Ball anyway, I ended up painting even more faces for several more hours, and then cleaning up and organizing from the end of the Ball til midnight when it looked like there was little left to do and I was falling asleep.
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| I don't know how many hours I spent painting this... |
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| ...or this one! |
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| This was my first "customer", a girl who wanted to look like a cat. It felt really good to see a direct relationship between my efforts and the NEC donation jar. |
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| Cheetah. |
As the evening ended, I was introduced to a member of the NEC's board I had not met before, a man with sincere eyes and it seems a good judge of character. He was interested in the person who had shown up out of the blue on a bicycle, and who had been so enthusiastically painting signs and faces.
As I started to leave into the rainy darkness, he stopped me to ask if I had received compensation for my hard work.
I nodded towards my panniers and said I got a free loaf of leftover bread.
A slightly overwhelming conversation followed, in which I was told that my energy was noticed and appreciated. I left with cash in my pocket that I had not asked for, had not hoped for, and felt a little guilty for accepting. Much more importantly- exceedingly more important- I learned that the man from whom I had just received a great deal of praise (and several bills) is the president of the NEC.
Every day this week, I have come accross more reasons, arguments, and people to [almost] convince me to move to Arcata and go to Humboldt State for a degree in Art and minor in Appropriate Technology.
Many times last night, I had to physically leave the building and run into the warm rain, sit silently alone on the gymnasium floor of the Ball and process my thoughts, or break out in a furious, ecstatic jig on the dance floor to the live music. My emotions were simply too much to contain.
"Geez! I could just move here!" I would suddenly half-shout, half-announce to my new friends.
"Yes, you should." I would hear in response.
But last night, I came away feeling sure. Sure that if I came back here in April-- after WWOOFing, riding to San Francisco for Critical Mass and Halloween, speaking at a panel on the spiritual journey of bike touring at Chico State's This Way to Sustainability conference, Maya Pedal in Guatemala, and Common Vision's fruit tree tour, all as planned-- I could settle here. By the time I left the Ball, I felt confident that I could integrate myself quickly into this community through the Kinetic Sculpture race I will likely have the honor of participating in, the cycling community, CCAT and Humboldt State, the NEC, and the best connections I could have dreamed of.
This trip- my so-called Great Escape- is not an extended vacation. My actions have been deliberate and calculated, but also out of love.
I don't carry hand-made prayer flags and thank you cards to give to people who help me because I want to make sure I can count on those people to help me again, I give my time, my energy and my gifts to others because I feel an urgency to give back as much as I can because I have been given so much.
"I give thanks for what is given/
All for one, to the next/
Downstream, row, row/
Row your boat, gently down/
May the circle, be unbroken/
Merry-go-round/
Again."
I feel carried by karma. Again and again, I give and receive, so I must give back again. It is a lot of work to try and keep ahead, but I don't believe I could be happy any other way.
"Red bird who weaves the elders' song/
Into a message nest/
We are not alone/
We are the wellspring of those who came before us/
Of theirs our voices born, their song so ancient/
Older than we can imagine/
The gift of fearless love-givers"
I am reminded once more of something I was told by a woman in Trinidad, Carol, who was offering strangers hospitality through both http://www.warmshowers.org/ (a network of bike enthusiasts on tour, and those able to host cyclists who are) and http://www.couchsurfing.org/.
I had emailed her about a place to stay on my way to and from a friend's wedding in Crescent City. She got back to me quickly, and hers was one of many similar messages in my inbox that week, mostly from people I had never met, but who were eager to help me however they could. Carol had even taken to sending me relevant information about Appropriate Technology and Humboldt, and went as far as trying to track down a person I had heard built elaborate solar-oven adult tricycles and the likes in Arcata.
I felt compelled to tell Carol how grateful I felt after receiving the latest batch of useful emails, including several from her.
"I have a feeling I'm going to be 'paying it forward' for years to come for all the generous offers of hospitality I've already received from [you and Sid (another Trinidad resident and my future host)] and others. It's great to be reminded that most people are really nice." I said.
"Realize that WE are paying it forward for generosity shown to us by others, too." she replied.
And so the circle continues, unbroken.
_________________
I met the right people here. I accomplished exactly what I needed to. I made an impression on people who collectively make up a place that made an impression on me.
So this is magic...
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