The Adventure Park is a great idea

Dear Mr. Moffett and Mr. Sutherland,

I’m certain you have been listening to of the all the vocal oppositions presented and repeated by community individuals and the Friends of Leavenworth but, I’d like to offer another perspective that maybe worth pondering.

The Adventure Park is a great idea— who doesn’t love a good thrill?  Many people in this community are stellar examples of adventure-lovers and thrill-seekers, They do so in the natural environment of Leavenworth.  Societally, we need more time spent in the natural world to counteract all the time spent indoors, in front of screens and devices, or feeling falsely connected.  I love the ideas you have proposed in your Adventure Park..it gets people outside, moving their bodies, challenging themselves, working to overcome fears etc etc.

The people of this small town aren’t of a small-town mentality, anti-adventure or even anti-development.  Leavenworth has changed so much in the past several years and the locals of Leavenworth are desperately trying to hold onto to their simple mountain community living. I have always said one of the most appealing attributes about living here is that “people live here because they want to live here not because they have to.” We all take decreases in pay or positions/titles because we value a simpler lifestyle and better quality of life. We are happy and willing to make those compromises.

With tourism ever increasing, we are already losing our town on the weekends to thousands of visitors, traffic, noise, garbage, the occasional disorderly conduct, (some of which makes for great reading in the Sheriff’s Blotter) and so on. We take it in stride. The locals just want to be able to get their groceries, access the bank, post office, bakeries, restaurants and maybe take a walk at the park. We just want to feel like we aren’t sequestered to our homes and yards because dealing with hustle bustle of downtown is overwhelming.

Here’s a few questions and/or perspectives that you may or may not have thought about. I’d like to thank you in advance for taking time to read my note,

When starting a new project or endeavor…

1. What type of energy do you want fueling the project?  Positive or Negative? Easy or Hard? Non-resistant or Resistant? Simple or Complex?

2. Do you want Success or Failure? Compliance or Non-Compliance? Love or Fear?

In a community with such strong and expressive opposition, ask yourself, “What kind of energy am I creating and/or inviting with The Adventure Park in Leavenworth?”  See what information shows up.

Observe and consider the genuine feelings and concerns the people of Leavenworth have expressed. How do these expressions resonate inside my own Heart and Spirit?  Am I really listening? This doesn’t mean you follow blindly, not at all.  But ask again, How does it feel inside when I listen to the community members? This voice inside will guide you to the Truth or Non-truth. Just listen and see for yourself.

The Mind/Ego will give you different information. The Mind/Ego isn’t your ethical center. The MInd/Ego just wants to carry out and complete tasks as the pressure center in your body.  It doesn’t care what the task actually is. (Using the Mind/Ego to explore other development sites would be a good use of this center.)  The Mind/Ego just wants to do something-right, wrong or indifferent. We have other parts of ourselves that are where our decisions truly need to be made from—our Heart and Spirit. Does my decision serve the highest good for me and for others? This decision will never come from the Mind/Ego. It will only truly will be answered from Heart and Spirit. See for yourself.

As humans, we are social beings. Social bonds are essential to our human experience and survival. These safe and trusted social bonds allow us to contribute, connect and thrive with each other. In America, as a melting pot of cultures, beliefs, religions, lifestyles, attitudes, we are missing the very thing we are all longing for—true loving connection—which is found and experienced in a community.  Be it with friends, family, a neighborhood, a part of town, business associations, etc…we all want to belong and connect. We also long to make an impact not just leave an empty legacy or imprint.

Ask yourself, does The Adventure Park satisfy my longing to make an impact or contribution? Answer that question honestly…see what answer surfaces. The choice is yours to listen. Remember the Mind/Ego may give you some information.  What information is coming through your Heart and Spirit ? It may be worthwhile to gather all the information before making decisions.

Leavenworth will also become your community.  Your project managers and construction crew members, employees, etc will be on-site, perhaps living or staying in town, eating in the restaurants, etc. They will be interacting with the surrounding community. Would you or they like to be embraced with handshakes, high-fives, hugs or smiles? Or would you or they like to be greeted with scowls, frowns, furrowed brows and shaking heads?

It’s not too late to have a shift in your perspective. Only your Mind/Ego will stand in the way of following your truth. You have to live with your conscience.   Choose wisely—follow your truth.

If you search deep within Body, Mind, Spirit and Heart and decide to move forward, do so lovingly. Ask for support of the community or make contributions to gain the support of the community along the way. Surrounding yourself with good energy is an important aspect of this short,  precious and delicate human existence. No need to bring negative energy into your life through the choices you make.

I trust you will make a decision that will be for the highest good of yourself and highest good of all.

Preserving an old world tradition of community may be one worth fighting for. I wish for all of us to do so lovingly and kindly. Perhaps the gift of this Adventure park is that it has made the people of Leavenworth organize, unite and take an expressive stance for what they truly believe it…their community.

Compassion and Love is our true nature.  Fear is what we create in the absence of Love. Consider that and make each of life’s decisions accordingly. Imagine what kind of world we’d live in if Love and Compassion was the common bond? 

Thank you again for taking time to read my note.

Take Care

Sincerely

Sonia Karumsi

Leavenworth, WA