In the photo above, you can see a sword fern. I pulled a number of these ferns out of the ground around the sweat lodge at Kalani. The fern is the home to mosquitoes and nothing stops them from attacking.
Bringing down trees with a chain saw is an exciting part of the landscaping job I do at Kalani.
I can't use a chain saw myself, but I watch my well-built crew member cut a notch in one side of the trunk and then cut cleanly through the other side, placing the entire tree exactly where we want it- three feet away and parallel to the sweat lodge. The chain saw is buzzing and the wood chips are flying. The woodsman is adorned in his red Mickey Mouse headgear to protect his ears from the noise.
When the tree begins its slow decent to the ground, I wait to hear the paradox of its harsh and gentle splash to earth.
Plop, its branches and leaves no longer reach for the sunlight.
It is my job to clear away the heavy logs that will be used for firewood on Thursday night during the women's sweat.
I am excited about attending the women's sweat. I plan to bring slips of paper containing experiences I want to leave behind in my life, scraps of paper, pain and longing for what never materialized or unfolded in a pattern of maladaptive behaviors.
I plan to let go with the help of the flames and the sweat dripping from my own body.
I am letting go here at Kalani.
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