Community Celebration Events - celebrating a special kind of community - the community of geocaching. This one was postponed two years thanks to a pandemic which in some way changed all of our communities.
Geocaching is a community that grows together, works together, and plays together. We have many different goals and we discover those with both similar and different goals. Some are young and eager to bound up mountains. Some, for reason of age, desire, or disabilities, prefer gentle walks. Some prefer busy places while others prefer the quietude of a lonely trail. We share the spirit of adventure and discovery brought to our lives by geocaching.
We learn about each other through conversation, activity, caches placed, and logs written about caches we find. I suspect many of you who have found my caches already know some of the things I enjoy, including colors, activities, food, and things to see, even if we have yet to meet. You may also know things I don't like. You see me getting slower; yet know that I can still enjoy your company while hunting for caches with you. This includes exploring nature with my great-grandkids while caching with them. We find newts, snakes, and bird nests, while working on plant identification together.
So, for all of you, I share this Pueblo prayer:
Hold on to what is good, even if it’s a handful of Earth.
Hold on to what you believe, even if it’s a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do, even if it’s a long way from here.
Hold on to your life, even if it’s easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand, even if someday I’ll be gone away from you.
I will learn more about you when I read your found log for this cache with bouncy coordinates, which is hidden under a pointed log where it might not be wise to sit. Do you read cache pages so that you know this cache is on the east side of the trail? Will your found log tell me what was special about finding this cache? While I was placing the container, a lady walked by and asked if I was weeding. When told that I was placing a geocache, she said she knew all about that and added, "More power to you!" We shared a special smile.
As Chief Seattle said, "Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect."