Goodness Weekly 11.11.2024
“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is a society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar.”
–George Noel Gordon, Lord Byron
What’s Good
The launch of the Sunset Ridge Farmers Market at Charis Park this past weekend was a dream come true! The park was buzzing with neighbors connecting with local farmers and ranchers, enjoying yoga with Nyx Wellness, Storytime with Miss Anastasia, and live music. Many vendors sold out, which is exactly what we’d hoped for, but this success needs our support to grow! By shopping weekly, we can help sustain these farmers and ranchers and keep the market thriving. You can even reserve goods like eggs and meat ahead of time, ensuring your favorite items are ready for you each week. Check out our vendor list to place your order.
We can’t wait to see you again next Saturday!
Soothing Hospitality
Mae Czarnecki, Communications Coordinator, Sunset Ridge Collective
This weekend I had the opportunity to visit Laity Lodge for the first time with Know Your Neighbor’s eighth Narrative Change Cohort (Affectionately nicknamed, Ocho.)
“Our Narrative Change Cohorts bring groups of San Antonians together for a series of learning sessions over a 15-month period. Participants engage with San Antonio’s history and current realities of social, racial, and economic inequity through learning resources, immersion experiences, roundtable discussions, reflective workshops, walking tours, and meals together.”
On Friday afternoon, a bag packed, barely enough gas, and some nerves about unplugging from family and social media, I headed into the Texas Hill Country. With focused devotion to being fully present with 14 others shaping San Antonio through their art and work, I arrived at our secluded place of rest.
We gathered for dinner, and briefly explored the campus through lighted trails under the stars. Laity Lodge is a sanctuary of quiet and beauty. My room was thoughtfully designed—a bed layered with soft pillows, a wall of windows revealing stars like tiny lanterns. I settled in with a book, but my companion—tinnitus—soon interrupted the stillness. At home, a central air fan and standing fan cover its high-pitched ring. My daily routine is filled with sound: lofi rain beats in my office, a podcast in the car, or early 2000s hits at the gym. Silence can be harsh.
Yet each morning, as the canyon turned from black to green, wild turkeys and the soft lap of the river stirred the day awake, easing the tension in my ears. The natural world filled the silence I usually escape, soothing my ears and anxiety.
Driving back Sunday, I kept reflecting on noise and the urge to soothe it. And it brought me to a question: “How am I creating space for others, offering my best hospitality - the fullness of my gifts and talents - even if I can't erase all discomfort?” At Sunset Ridge Collective and in so many of our city's spaces, we recognize pain exists. In our city, in our neighborhoods, and in our bodies. While healing and rest are the goals of our tireless work, our call is to offer hospitality, to invite people to show up just as they are, even when noise lingers.
This week, I encourage you to show up too. Find the stillness in the spaces around you, and share it with others. Even if not every hurt is healed, let’s continue welcoming each other with open doors, in all our fullness.
This Week
Saturdays, Charis Park
9am - 1pm, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market
9am Donation Based Yoga Flow
Coming Up
Closed for Thanksgiving Nov 27 - 29
December 6th - Camelot Christmas
For frequent updates of One Another Coffee, Charis Park, Scott’s Pizza, and NYX Wellness, please feel free to check our calendar and follow us on Instagram for any updates.
Inhale:
May the sound of my hospitality
Exhale:
Soothe the noise of others’ pain.
