It has been hard to find the time to write in this blog. I have been staying very busy, and though every day is very different, there is now a bit of a routine in my day.
Last night was sound sleeping until early this morning when a storm was tossing the walls of the tent about, and it's persistence finally made me get up early so I have some extra time to write today.
I have been feeling very grateful. I came down here with the intention to serve. To help with the recovery. What I wasn't expecting is the amount that I have learned. As Common Ground Collective moves into the next phase of its existence, from relief work to long term rebuilding work, they are looking for more organization. I have been put on the project of finding a task management system for the whole organization. Just at the right time another volunteer with programming skills showed up from London. Daniel will be here for two months and we have been working together on putting together this system. It is of course open source, and web based. I have learned a lot during this process about MySQL and php. Next we are to look into developing a patient management system for the free clinic.
We continue the tutoring three nights a week and though turnout has been low for the last couple nights, it is really nice to work with others and teach them while learning about their culture and passions.
I have also been working on websites. We launched a new retreat section for the monastery, and the Living The Dream 2006 site continues to grow. Next I will be working on a new producer partner section for Cafe Campesino's website.
Prior to coming here, I didn't really have passion for what I was doing so I tended toward the easy, doing what I already knew how to do and not taking on many new challenges. When we do push ourselves and take chances it is amazing what we can accomplish. When you step outside of your comfort zone you start to really flex the muscle that is your brain it is amazing how much we are capable of learning. The more you use that muscle the better it works.
Yesterday I met with Otis and Liz. They are coordinating RUBARB, a bike collective that started shortly after Katrina to recover bikes. Their name, and acronym for rusted up beyond all recognition bikes came from the mass of bicycles that were abandoned after having been underwater for weeks. They now have shop hours and people of all ages come and learn how to build themselves a bike. We are going to create a website for them to raise awareness about what they are doing and to find contributions of bikes and supplies. Watch for it at rubarbike.org
I'll try and write some more this weekend. I hope I have a few readers left, I will work on getting back into posting a little more often.
Peace,
geoffrey/pax
About Me
- Geoffrey
- It is better to love God and serve everyone rather than to try and figure It all out. After working in business management for both for-profit and non-profit businesses, I came to realize there must be something missing because I didn't see peace and happiness at the end of the path I was on. I then was blessed in learning about Peace Pilgrim whose message has gradually become the guiding force in my life. I have spent most of the last 12 years living in community as I feel that sharing resources, both material and personal is the most efficient means of living. During this time I was blessed to come into contact with many alternative ideas. I strive to be a very conscious consumer. If I need to buy something, I try to find out just where it came from and decide upon the source that has lead to the least suffering and the most sustainability. I sometimes find that others are very resistant to learning about this because it is much easier to walk into a store and buy what we thing we need. Since giving my life up to service, I have always had everything I needed provided, and living without a whole lot of possessions has made life much more rewarding and free.