memories, part 1

I came home at midnight Sat night/Sunday morning and transition has been hard. I am going to try and write here what I can remember...

I had so many great conversations with so many people. Even meeting people an hour before I was going to leave--we were still able to connect.

Things we talked about/I experienced:

--non-violent communication. This is a re-hash, there are a lot of complexities I'm glossing over. Instead of saying,"I don't like this song", saying "It doesn't work for me, it doesn't resonate with me"--then it is your experience, versus making an absolute statement that can set up conflict. Same for "This song is good"--sets up conflict or dualism (some songs are bad, I don't like other songs). Can say--"this is pleasing to me","this makes me feel good". 

--The above tool can be used to communication with parents. We discussed how there is a point when you have to realize that your parents are not your parents anymore, in the sense that they are when you are a child. They are people with their own set of limitations, just like anyone else. Speak to them at their level in a way that doesn't create conflict. Speak to how *you* feel instead of making assumptions.

--everything comes from a place of love or fear. And fear is really about a lack of love. This can help us understand why people act hatefully, angrily, etc. Really they just want love.

--one nice thing--was not analyzing why we overeat. Pretty much everyone goes nuts and overeats when they are new to the Tree (and "new" could mean, your first five months there!). One thing that was nice was to *not* overanalyze it for once and just go with the flow. The food is great, there is a bounty, and sometimes you eat way too much and you may feel sick and gain weight. But if you keep trying to listen to your body and do better next time, there is no reason to overanalyze the"why". It just is. No need to judge it.

--one of my favorite people would OMM really loud or chant really loud in the shower (unaware of how loud it was, I think!). It was cute and hilarious. He totally wasn't putting on a show, it was just him. He wasn't very grounded, but he was the sweetest person ever. And authentic--this was key.

My main objection to the Tree of Life is pricing. It is outrageous and inaccessible for most people. A community member (say, living in Patagonia) must pay $40 for brunch. How much can you eat at once that makes it worth $40!? I can see $20 (though I find that crazy), but $40!? They do use the highest quality ingredients (Gabriel tests them all and they are expensive), but still.