We’re so used to having SO many things going on at HBS that it’s hard to pick just one to highlight – but now, as everywhere else, our calendar of events is blank. Classes, workshops, readers, and gatherings of all kinds have ground to a halt in the face of Covid. And yet, more people than ever are making their way to HBS, many of them discovering us for the first time. We’re gratified and perhaps a tad surprised?? And yet, we really shouldn’t be. (Surprised that is. Always grateful!) Covid has disrupted everyone’s routine, forcing us all to slow down, pull inward, spend more time with ourselves than many of us have for years.
A housepainter friend said his business has been nonstop since Covid – people stuck in their houses round the clock are looking to change it up, fix the things that have been ‘on the list’ for years, but never a priority until now, when they have nothing to do but stare at those walls. Our internal lives are much the same. When we’re busy, it’s easy to put off those ‘internal renovations’ that may be calling for our attention. Then everything halted and our busyness buffer has disappeared, leaving us face-to-face with all those existential questions we’ve worked so hard to avoid.
So folks come searching. For books, for crystals, for oils, for guidance, for understanding, for their path. Because here’s the thing: there is no one-size-fits-all answer. What lights up one person might do nothing for another. That truth can be frustrating to those of us looking for THE ANSWER to little questions like ‘the Meaning of Life.’ (42, wasn’t it?). But it’s also what makes life worth living. Truly! Just think how boring life would be if we were all the same – thought the same things, always responded the same way, like the same things, disliked the same things All we have to do is look round us to realize that NOTHING in life is one-size-fits-all: we like different foods, music, art, TV shows, hobbies. We have different tastes in clothing and jewelry (I love big chunky pieces and both my daughters are all about the small, delicate stuff). Some people love reading mysteries and scary stuff, others hate it! Some of us love to travel, others are homebodies. Some of us seek adventure and others of us like to stay curled up on a comfy sofa in front of a fire with a good book. We are each inspired by different artists, musicians, speakers, and poets. So why would we think what inspires us to live our best life or even — and perhaps especially — how we connect with that something greater that is beyond ourselves, however we define and experience that, would be the same?
John Mason said, “You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” This is precisely why we created HBS. To celebrate that diversity and provide a place where folks could find resources, guidance, inspiration, and traveling tips for whatever their own particular path is and wherever it might lead them.
So no – we don’t have any events going on. But absolutely there is a LOT going on at HBS. Come on in and explore for yourself!!!