A Message from the 3HO Events Manager

Sat Nam,

At the end of Solstice when everyone is in a hurry to pack up, say their goodbyes and drive off the mountain, the Solstice Setup Crew becomes the breakdown crew and dismantles the whole of Solstice in 1 ½ days. Our goal is to finish and make it down the mountain in time for Gurdwara on Sunday. We completed most of our task and made it to Gurdwara, it was exhausting!

That evening after Gurdwara, I was back up at Guru Ram Das Puri where I lived for the next two weeks supporting the Khalsa Youth Camp. I was exhausted and spent the better part of my day daunted by loose ends that the tear down crew didn’t get to, removing showerheads, picking up trash and debris, taking down tents that were left behind, miscellaneous sign removal, putting away stages, benches and so forth. I was struggling with just the idea of keeping up.

God provided me with an awesome helper. Jagroop Singh, a member of our Setup Crew was working long hours as the Khalsa Youth Camp dishwasher. He noted I was challenged now that my Solstice adrenaline had worn off. During his breaks from dishwashing this was his mantra, “What have you got left to do? Come on, I’ll help you.” Together with Jagroop, we managed to get it all done.

When I began work as the 3HO Events Manager past Manager’s talked to me about how they ran Solstice. We discussed logistics, but more importantly we talked about what holding the space for all of us to successfully create our Solstice entails. Each Solstice mentor stressed the importance of taking time off to recharge after Solstice. While I listened, truly grateful for the wisdom of past experience, I thought to myself, “I’m not going to need a rest. How difficult could this be?”

I made it down the mountain, moved into a new apartment and got back to work. I tried to regain my Solstice energy and enthusiasm but my battery was drained and I just couldn’t recharge. After a week of wrapping up Solstice ’08 and Planting seeds for SSOL 2009, I took a week off and enjoyed time with friends and summer in Northern New Mexico. As my post-Solstice 40 day Sadhana comes to a close I’m feeling myself again and practicing balance as I enjoying my personal journey.

In Service,
Anand Singh