The Mountain That Smiled

          How do I quantify Narrow Ridge? Do I tell you outright that the experience was worth more to me than all the gold and diamond in this world… more than any green paper, more than any super power, or any princess? Would you laugh at me if I told you that the experience was magical? That it was priceless? That I could never put a price on the experience, and if I did, that the sum amount I create would fall tremendously short of the actual value this experience manufactured within me. I wonder…

          Let me begin by weaving you a short tale of my life. I am a survivor, a knight trapped by his armor. I have waged many a war, have lost many a battle, and have been struck by life more I’d care to elaborate. Narrow Ridge stripped the armor, it left me bare. I felt the sun on my skin, saw the fog of desperation and confusion evaporate before my eyes, and entered into a trance that forever changed my life. I was at once free and happy.  The mountains smiled at me, held me in their bosom, and nurtured my growth. I rediscovered myself on those glistering slopes and under those stars. I found peace and tranquility, direction and inspiration, and above all, a community that I could count on for emotional support.

          Community, what a wild and crazy word. Community within this disconnected world, what a concept. In Narrow Ridge I found this word, and this concept became real. Prior to this event, I had no idea what that word even meant: what the hell is a community? – I thought. After years of dealing with a dysfunctional family, that word seemed like a distant dream, a vision that had evaporated with the sway of the wind and life’s unrelenting and chaotic rain.  But in Narrow Ridge I found the Sun, a Sun that cleared away the fog, the clouds, and calmed the winds. It opened me to the blossom of the wild-flowers, the quiet-whispers of the trees, the happy-chirping of the birds, the cheerfully-hooting owls, the playful-howling coyotes and the warm-purity of the human spirit.

          My armor fell little by little, one garment at a time. First the battered shin-guards, then the scarred gloves, followed by the broken helmet which had been tarnished by years of wear and tear, and finally the barred chest piece which had been long strapped with an iron will and an unshakable fear to exposure. But then… once all of it was gone, all of those things, all of my attachments, I felt freedom. True freedom, pure freedom, unquenchable and far-reaching freedom. My heart glowed with love. A love that Bill and Mitzi shone into me, into the deep well of my past that carried the inescapable parts of me that hurt the most, those places where a small child hid in corners of darkness where no sun-ray had touched. A barren landscape encapsulated this child… there had not been any growth in this barren landscape for years. Bill and Mitzi, through their loving embrace, compassion, loving-kindness, and empathy, carried Prometheus’ light into the core of this well, and lit the child’s eyes once more. They awakened in him a sense of love, and from that love, rays of light emanated from his heart, and for the first time in a very long time, light embodied the entirety of the well. And the child was happy once more. And I… I wept. And wept… and those tears touched that deserted ground and from their healing properties, that deserted ground broke apart and roots began to spread everywhere. Trees, flowers of all colors: blue, red, white, yellow, everywhere all at once blossomed. Sparrows, eagles, and birds of all types flew across the horizon, mountains rose and slopes were created, rivers and lakes filled the ground. The sky was clear blue and the sun gave the most spectacular orange glow. The tree’s shadows elicited the sun’s light, allowing rays to appear. A beautiful macrocosmic biodiversity grew inside of the child, and he was finally ready… ready to join me in my journey. Together we held hands, I looked into his eyes, his eyes reflecting my past, and then he vanished… turned into dandelions which covered the sky in a majestic glow. I knew now I was ready. I closed my eyes and from within my heart, roots spread across my body which helped heal all the broken branches connected to me. They became my lifeline, carried life inside of my blood. And their message spread through me: you are connected, you are one with this world, love everything and everyone unconditionally. The child spoke to me once more.

 Bill and Mitzi, I will never forget you. Thank you so very much for being a source of inspiration and unconditional love.

P.S: I love everyone that shared in this experience. You know who you are; there are no words to describe my gratitude and appreciation for your kindness. You all rekindled the fire within me, and I don’t think it would have been possible without you all. Thank you all so very much and I will never forget any of you. I promise to always stay in contact with you for as long as I am alive. May we never forget May 5-May 12, 2013, Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center and the amazing experiences we all shared.

Peace and Love,

Luis Fuentes.