01/07/2020
I have said that Lucia wasn’t looking for a science teacher; she was looking for me.
I still believe this.
During our LAWS (Live Action Wilderness Survival) program last year, Lucia was called Hearth Mother. I still think of her this way though we are not traipsing through the woods with boffers.
Lucia stokes the fire within others with her words and actions. She holds care for all beings within her marrow and in her presence, I feel more capable and decisive.
When I heard that she would need a new location for LAWS, I was secretly thrilled.
Somewhere along the way, we had become friends. I wanted to deepen our connection into a cohesive working partnership as well. Sensing this would be the perfect opportunity, we began working together, and with other leaders to change the direction of the program.
We had a deadline and needed to limit distractions. I took a chance. With only a day’s notice, I invited Lucia to camp on my favorite mountain, Mount Greylock to work in both solitude and beauty. The next day, we left.
On a chilly afternoon in late September, with full backpacks and a laptop, we walked the mile and a half to our campsite.
Playing a game of chicken with the sunset and deepening shadows we pumped water from the well and discussed the brilliant friends who would be working with us, the children who could benefit from these programs, and what the future may bring us both.
We wrote notes by headlamp and worked until the cold was creeping into my gloved fingertips. In that tent under the limitless stars that night there was boldness, but no fear.
Upon waking we were right back to work, talking our way over a breakfast of oatmeal cooked by a small propane stove and soaking in the sunshine slowly warming us. We stashed our food in a bear locker and walked up the Stony Ridge trail to take in the view.
There were tart, late-season blackberries and jewelweed bursting with the slightest touch. The deciduous trees were beginning their dance into autumn, shyly deciding which would be the first to show themselves in their most colorful form.
We took turns pointing out things that fascinated us, drawing upon the limitless inspiration of the outdoors and adding it all into the spirit of creation and new beginnings that we hoped to take away with us.
Later we rolled our sleeping bags, carried our thoughts, and walked with each other back to the car and towards our everyday lives.
There are days where we fill ourselves. The real challenge of change often lies in the return to our routine.
Since that trip we have been both tested and encouraged.
Our deadlines have changed and our vision has pulsed. We are working. We are both stoking the fires of ETHOS. We are engaged with a team of teachers, mentors, and leaders to not only bring back LAWS but to launch a whole a new lineup of educational programming.
-Amanda Boyanowski-Morin
