This post comes to us from Josh, our new Administrative Assistant! He's the fellow in the middle of the group photo above. Josh has worked in shipping and administration at Mountain Rose Herbs since 2010. His interests include art, writing, astronomy, and psychology, and he has a special place in his heart for all things imaginative and creative. Josh and the crew participated in one of our community service events through the Mountain Rose River Project and he returned with some new insights...
Last week, I had the fortunate opportunity to join Mountain Rose Herbs for a volunteer project cleaning the wetlands across the street from our offices. One of my favorite aspects of this company is the unwavering commitment to giving back to the community. Having worked here for nearly two years, the genuine care and effort of the people in these offices has never ceased to amaze me.
Five of us began the day with a meeting in the break room where we equipped ourselves with the essentials: bags, gloves, and trash pickers. From there, we made the short walk down to the trail.
Under a clear summer sky, we trudged along the trail, picking through cigarette butts and discarded bits of orange tape. In between, there were long stretches of grass and soil, decorated by the occasional dragonfly and caterpillar.
At first, it appeared that our efforts would yield minimal results, but the farther we marched, the clearer our mission became. As the trail thinned out and we ventured towards the woods, we came across pockets of garbage strewn across the greenery. In this, my experience became bittersweet. While I relished the opportunity to walk through the trees and observe the wealth of natural growth that surrounded me, it was difficult to see what people had done with such apparent disregard. It wasn’t long before our bags filled up with all manner of waste.
Fortunately, we were able to clear out much of the garbage, and as we continued our way around the wetlands, the positive moments grew. Whether on or off the trails, nature provided a constant theatre for observation: from the rustling of the grass, to the clean minty scent of the flora, to the velvety green moss blanketing the rocks.
But the most memorable part of the day came from an unexpected source. Feeling a bit dejected by the enormity of our mission, I became distracted by the image of two tiny ears sticking up in the distance. As we came closer, a kitten emerged from the grass, about six months in age and wearing a blue collar around her neck. She approached a coworker first, tail in the air, greeting him wholeheartedly.
After he gave her a pet, I knelt down and did the same. But even as I smiled, I felt a twinge of uneasiness in the bottom of my stomach. Truthfully, I worried for the kitten, wondering how she could thrive in an environment far from the shelter of a good home. For a moment I wished that I could take her with me, but the moment passed and I knew that I had to keep moving.
A minute later, I looked back and saw a woman appear from the trees. Gently, she lifted the kitten and carried her off towards the woods where a camp of homeless people waited beyond. Unsettled at first, I came to realize that the woman must have taken great care of the kitten. The animal was healthy and it had approached us so trustingly. Clearly, the animal was loved.
Truly, I had no reason to be angry about anything I’d seen that day. Humanity is a vast meadow of contradictions, capable simultaneously of affection, disregard, passion, and apathy.
I think that it’s important to understand that sometimes the people who harm the environment through their daily actions are not monsters. They may lack education, or they may have problems so severe that they struggle to understand the depth of their impact, or perhaps they are just trying to survive in difficult circumstances. As long as our efforts come from a place of love and understanding, I believe that there is hope for us all.
I’m glad that I participated in a volunteer project for the first time with Mountain Rose Herbs, and I hope to carry the lessons I learned into serving my own neighborhood in the future.
