Yesterday I attended the memorial for a local man named Ranger Rick who might be called the de-facto mayor (a vacancy formed when the previous mayor, a rooster, met his premature demise...case still unsolved!), sage, town greener, town drunk, tourist greeter (and repeller!) depending on who you asked. I was most moved by how Occidental took care of an individual who, in different circumstances, would have most likely ended up behind bars, in a looney house or in rehab. Instead, a local resident gave him a place to live and the town Chamber of Commerce gave him a paid job to keep the town clean. He was friend to and befriended by many. Somehow, in this tapestry of Occidentalites, Rick was woven into the bandwidth of quirky birds and eccentrics...revered for his refusal to live a life of compromise, honored for his spiritual insight and sensitive nature, appreciated for his hard work, given kudos for his generosity.
As I looked around yesterday at my community, I felt a deep and genuine appreciation for our capacity to include and take care of each other...so beauty-full...and I felt at home.
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