The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.
― Maya Angelou
The Resilience of Belonging: Diversity at Wilbur
On any typical evening at Wilbur Hot Springs, the community kitchen is buzzing with folks preparing meals. Some guests prepare elaborate feasts, basking in the generosity of the shared space, some quickly heat up an easy dish. An older, long-time guest of forty years might be trading stories with someone much younger who is here for the first time. In the next room, a quiet guitar melody becomes an impromptu duet while others converse over supper. Without the distractions of cell phones and beeps, we are left with something rare in today's world: genuine connection.
Wilbur has long been a sanctuary for the soul, a safe place where people of all stripes feel they belong. Here, all are invited to cultivate a personal relationship to the valley, the waters and the land. This includes the staff, who not only hold this space but are also held by it; we are guests like you, albeit with a longer stay and more responsibility.
The richness of this place extends beyond our human guests to the serpentine ecosystem which surrounds us: a landscape harboring many rare and unique species of plants, insects, animals and birds. While the social and political "value" of diversitiy may fluctuate with the times, the natural world offers an eternal truth: biological diversity is the hallmark of a resilience. As variety is diminished, ecosystems become more vulnerable.
In this sense, Wilbur thrives as a sanctuary in no small measure because of its human and biological richness. Each one of you who has been a guest here has contributed to this thriving - by helping with watershed restoration, by working as staff, or simply by connecting the decades with your presence. We continue to welcome you all to be guests with us, of this beautiful, diverse and resilient valley.
