The Kindness of Strangers

Here at Hummingbird Community, we've had a very good day of connecting with members and learning about the community in greater detail. Attending a community meeting, we were able to converse freely with a group of kind souls who have varying degrees of commitment and connection to the land and the Hummingbird mission, and we were invited to facilitate three short segments of Laughter Yoga at the beginning, middle and end of the meeting, all of which were quite well received. Fully engaged in the meeting as participants, we were also able to observe and experience how the people of Hummingbird attempt to "walk their talk" when it comes to being a center for spiritual practice, non-violent communication and conscious co-creation, and what we observed was indeed impressive and inspiring.

Hummingbird serves as a retreat center, intentional community, and a hub of activity centered on clear communication and spiritual practice as it relates to every day life in intentional community. A great deal of skill and conscious intention is obviously at play at Hummingbird, and there is no doubt that very special work is afoot here in the rural mountains of New Mexico. From permaculture to renewable energy to highly honed skills of communication, Hummingbird is a special place with a great deal to offer those who choose to visit here. Stay tuned for photos when our internet connection is stronger! 

This evening, as the sun began to go down, we discovered to our dismay that our rig's furnace is blowing only cold air, and with the temperature forecast to drop to 25 degrees accompanied by wind gusts of up to 50 mph, there is no way that we could stay in the rig tonight without significant discomfort. Luckily, despite a "no dog policy" for all buildings at Hummingbird, we have been invited to sleep inside one of the group houses here, and Tina will sleep in front of the woodstove in her own cozy dog bed. 

Tomorrow we will head another 40 miles south to Las Vegas, New Mexico to visit old friends who will also put us up in their guest room. On Thursday, we will be left in charge of their home, 17 acres of land, one hot tub, two horses and one dog when they drive off to Flagstaff for a long weekend of skiing, so we are lucky travelers indeed. 

While I am vexed about the furnace and am gritting my teeth about having to pay yet another RV tech to diagnose and repair yet another potentially expensive mechanical problem, I am grateful for the kindness of strangers here at Hummingbird, strangers who would eagerly house us and our funny little dog after having known us for less than a day. The journey's twists and turns are at once exciting and maddening, and I continue to do my best to roll with the punches and accept each new situation and circumstance at face value. Broken furnace? Oh well. New tires? Not surprising. It's all apparently still par for the course, and we just continue to come along for what is consistently a surprising ride and an admittedly excellent adventure. 

---Keith