Journal notes: It's Friday the 13th, and it's going to be a good day....
I have awoken early-- in part because I'm on Central time, in part because I am just an early riser. The sharp coolness of the morning is a marked contrast to the mugginess of a 78-degree Texas dawn. It seems that I am the only "early bird"-- so far-- at the Buckeye Lodge.
I wander around the immediate area-- enjoying the fresh air, and the sounds of birds and animals starting a new day. The buckeyes are in full bloom-- and I locate a perfect journaling spot at a picnic table under one of the trees. The peacefulness is profound-- we are far enough from built-up areas that the "ambient background roar" of highways, machinery and commerce doesn't reach here, at all. As I sit and write, I can't think of a better place to bring HSPs together to get in touch with themselves.
When I finish writing, I dig out my Ranch map, and decide to hike up to Wildcat Ridge before breakfast, so as to get an overview of the Ranch site-- and a bit of a workout. Wildcat Ridge is about a mile-and-change hike, but with an 800 foot elevation gain, so the view should be good.
As I round the corner of the lodge, a jackrabbit crosses my path, briefly pausing to check me out. As I make my wayup the hillside trail, I meet deer, quail, and any number of other birds-- as well as members of the herd of cows that call Walker Creek Ranch their home. All around me is a proliferation of wildflowers.
It is incredibly peaceful at the top shortly after sunrise-- although it is only 6:30, I see someone else has also made the trek up. In spite of a few coastal cloud banks, the panoramic view is great; I take pictures and ponder the day ahead.
Photos: Clockwise, from above left: Jackrabbit on the road near Buckeye Lodge; Walker Creek Ranch from above, with the Buckeye Lodge at lower left next to my "journalling tree;" thick cover of wildflowers in one of the high meadows; Quail scurrying along my path; Panorama of the valley from Wildcat Ridge, with the Ranch complex in the foreground-- the blue roofed building is the dining hall-- Turtle Pond can be seen in the distance at upper right.
Although you have a panoramic view from Wildcat Ridge, the only "water view" is from Walker Peak (on the opposite side of the valley) which offers a view of Tomales Bay, but not of the Pacific Ocean.
By Friday breakfast, it seems like most of us have largely worked through any "interactive awkwardness" we might previously have felt in group settings. Talking, among this group of HSPs (who are mostly introverts, let's not forget), is almost effortless. In more than a few people I intuit a vague sense of ongoing disbelief, many open smiles with an undercurrent of "Is this for real?" I haven't really thought of myself as "uncomfortable" in my interactions with groups of other people-- I just find it exhausting-- but being among these people brings home the point that I must have been less at ease than I thought.
And I really thought I had developed a "thick protective shell" against the world. And I thought other HSPs have would, too-- and that we would have great difficulty letting our guards down. Instead I find that we are surprisingly "in touch" with ourselves-- in a matter of less than a day, many the "shields" we put up to protect ourselves against insensitivity, getting overwhelmed, and a lack of understanding seem to be coming down.
I have no way of knowing what kinds of expectations people have brought with them, but I sense that most hopes of having a chance to "feel authentic" are being thoroughly met.
And so the "work" begins, in earnest, on Friday morning as we start on a series of "Breakout Sessions" (basically workshops) on a variety of topics. Although these sessions are optional, it seems that everybody-- or almost everybody-- wants to be there. And Jacquelyn is right-- the introverts are slowly becoming "extraverts" of a sort.
A few words about the Breakout Sessions: I am not going to go into great detail on the specifics of each Breakout Session I attended. On the next page of this journal, you'll find brief descriptions of each one I attended-- which was most of them-- at least until my brain was "full," and I simply had to sit down and "process" what I had learned.
Please keep in mind that these are just my impressions-- I did not attend all sessions so this is by no means an "all-inclusive guide" to the HSP Gathering.
As my time and energy permits, I may add pages that go into more detail about each session, mostly covering the high points of what I feel I learned, and perhaps sharing a little feedback from other people who were there. I have no great interest in creating full "class notes" on the breakout sessions-- if that's what you're hoping to find, it might be better if you either contact the individual session presenters or-- better yet-- make plans to go to the next HSP Gathering! To that end, the next page does include contact information, as appropriate.
