Why I Do What I Do
BY KELLY MCFARLING
I came to Moondance in the summer of 2006 looking to work in the wilderness, and give my meandering life path an upgrade. At that staff training in 2006, my life did in fact change. I found myself beneath the stars in a circle of the most wonderful humans I’d ever met. As I gathered in that Moonup circle for the first time, listening to strangers discuss their biggest fears and wildest dreams, I felt the beginning of a large shift. I had never been around such a concentrated group of people that I was so deeply inspired by. I learned so much, and laughed so hard. I spent 11 days focusing on how to cultivate adventure, and haven’t really stopped. That summer my life changed color. The flavor of this experience has left a lifelong linger. Here are some of my favorite reasons it stays.
Maybe the most important. A Moondance summer is the embodiment of this truth. You go to great places with amazing people, and its your job to have fun. To find it everywhere, in everyone and everything. Fun creates the most lasting memories, and is the most worthy of enterprises. A trip reminds you to carry this with you always.
The comfort zone, the asphalt castle, the real world – whatever you want to call it, we live in a controlled atmosphere. We live indoors at preferred temperatures. Our eyes are full of screens and our ears are full of headphones. This bothers me, and I like to shake it up. Comfort is overrated. The world is wild and beautiful and full of magic. Go out into it. Discover it and explore it. While you’re out there you’ll realize that it can be messy and hard and uncomfortable, but that’s okay. Get wet and cold and dirty. Then bundle up, make a shelter and a hot meal. Realize that you can take care of yourself. How you respond to the rain is how you experience it. Don’t let it keep you from the wild and beautiful world.
One year, my co-leader and I made a rule. If you have the opportunity to jump into a natural body of water, you have to do it. You’ll never regret it! While you’re at it, put your face in a flower. Sleep under stars, walk beneath trees and be surrounded by nature. Nature is alive and beautiful and we are part of it. When you go into the wilderness you remember that you are already complete. A perfect design, meant to interact with and be among other perfect designs like trees, mountains, birds and rivers. You remember that the moon is there and that it moves the oceans. Every night the sunset makes colors on the clouds while we spin through the universe. These things are always happening, and it is important to experience and connect to them.
The best trips happen because of the people on them. When you go on a collective adventure, you realize you are part of something bigger than yourself. A group that understands this is a well-oiled machine of empathy, understanding, communication, and the knowledge that being good to each other spreads greatness. We call this concept Expedition Behavior, and it applies everywhere. People who practice good EB develop earnest concern for and awareness of others, and they are better people. I like knowing that those people are out in the world.
Make your plans – and be ready for them to change. They might need adjustments, complete overhauls, and sometimes they will accidentally blow out the window of a fifteen passenger van. You can’t control the weather, you can’t put a rainbow in a jar, and you sure don’t know why that snowpack hasn’t melted yet. Life shows up to remind us that we are not in control, despite our most organized itineraries, and deepest felt expectations. We have to be flexible. When you learn to roll with the waves, you can enjoy the ride.
An adventure is an eternal teacher and life companion. It stays in the fabric of who you are, and continues to reveal itself throughout your life. For me, gazing into the face of the unknown future, I’m looking for the fun, the flexibility, and the connections. This job didn’t just change my life, it gave me the ability to navigate life. Right now, when the waves are bigger than ever, I’m glad I got the opportunity to learn how to ride them.
