07 Aug THE LAST ONE, THE END, GOODBYE… FOR NOW – EL ÚLTIMO, EL FIN, ADIOS… POR AHORA

I am sad. I am sad that I am sitting here writing my last blog post of the summer (also sad that summer is basically over?! Like what?… anyways). I am sad that this beautiful chapter of my life is coming to an end. I want to keep re-reading the last page of the book to make it last longer. I want to hold on to the last written word. I want to leave the pages open so I never have to put it back up on the shelf. But I know I have to, and that makes me sad. 

I am sad. I am sad but my heart is full. After completing the four day workshop with all of the LHIP interns, I am filled with love, inspiration, positive energy, and motivation. I was reassured that all of my hard work this summer had paid off. All of the beautiful words from other interns were more than enough to reassure me that my work was important, and needed, and inspirational. So, although it is the end of my internship, it isn’t the end of my work. 

I am sad. I am sad but I am exhilarated about my future, the future of my fellow interns, and the future of the National Park Service. I hope that NPS can continue to open their eyes and see the beauty in color, the creativity in diversity, and the passion in community. I hope that people who are in positions of power can be more than just an image to look up to, but also a person who takes risks for their community and their people when we need them most. I hope that we can continue to be brave and expressive. I hope that we never silence our own voices and opinions due to fear or rejection. 

I am sad. I am sad but I am happy. I am happy that I got the privilege to work alongside an amazing team at the Anza Trail, happy that I got the privilege to even have this internship, and privileged to be surrounded by other shining star interns. I am happy that I get to save these memories around the trail and my work in my mind forever. I am happy that I got the opportunity to have a speckle of impact on a deserving community. 

Estoy triste. Estoy triste pero estoy agradecida. Agradecida por los que estuvieron antes; las comunidades indígenas que sentaron los cimientos, mis abuelos por poner construir la estructura, mis padres por levantar las paredes y el techo, y mi comunidad por pintar el exterior con colores de orgullo, inspiración y amor. 

Adios. Por ahora. 

Last social distancing hike and selfie. Best team every. Thank you Naomi and Christopher, I’m going to miss this. -Rebecca