The house was suddenly bustling with many voices, stacks of snacks on the kitchen table, piles of firewood, and bursting coolers on the back deck. We all threw in together, stoking the fire, and cooking big communal meals out of food we didn’t want to waste. I’d turn around and someone had done all the dishes, and another new friend was making a run to the only open store.

Given there’s so little we can control, identifying the heart’s true intention is helpful. While sitting in quiet meditation, asking ourselves how we want to feel and engage in an ever-changing world is inevitably fruitful and wholesome.

With no distractions available, we lay side by side on the living room rug and watched the crisp, slim crescent moon rise over the juniper trees as the light faded and the bats fluttered overhead.