There’s only one more hitch
My crew knows it
I know it
My body knows it
My mind knows it

The creaking of the shovels and tears in my clothes remind me that it’s okay for my body to be wearing down. Even our tools and gifts seem to lose their, for lack of a better word, “umph” over time. It makes sense for me to also reciprocate this “wearing down.” It is hard work, but this is good work.

I am proud of the work we do and how we do it together. It has felt fulfilling to be on a beaver crew at MCC, and I look back in admiration at what we accomplished. I believe that what we do makes a difference and will hopefully have long-lasting effects.

Process Based Restoration highlights that we can only do so much- we can aid the stream, but at the end of the day, it is ultimately up to the stream itself. Nature has a strength we have yet to conquer, and rightfully so. With Process Based Restoration we can, however, guide nature and steer it in a direction we deem as better. BDA’s are designed to be biodegradable, letting nature remain in rule. Just because they will “disappear” doesn't necessarily mean our work is gone with it. Our work is manifested through this change as we try to restore these waterways to their historically healthy state.

There is a perpetual change in our lives, whether we look for it or not. At some point, everything may start to fade; the hillsides we once worked in the blistering sun are now fields of oranges and yellows that seem to lose more color with every breeze.

My crew, which at one point seemed foreign to me, is now a part of me. We work as one collective. Completing our sentences comes as second nature; it feels like I’m with my family, and the hitches go by in a blink. 9 blinks have passed, and it’s time to part.
To move on.
To see what’s next.
What’s beyond.

Of course, there is an opportunity to stay and linger. To hold on to what is great.

I think what makes this experience great is that it doesn’t last forever. The richest moments in life seem to pass us by without us knowing. It’s those mundane moments you wouldn’t think are spectacular until they are already gone. Little laughs, jokes, and meals together that seem casual and something I wouldn’t think twice about. But now, I know that those times are what I will miss.

I thank MCC for all of the people I have met, opportunities to work, and places I got to see. I will have to leave some of these behind, but what’s in my heart will always be mine.