Taking a Pause
With so much in transition this year we’re thankful for November to remind us to pause, take inventory of our lives, and reflect on what we are grateful for. I asked The Ranch staff to share their gratitude. Their answers are a great testament to their humanity, kindness, and dedication to self-improvement.
Armida Ochoa- Guest Services. I’m grateful for Señora Deborah. She takes such good care of us, and I’m very, very, very grateful. The Ranch is a second home for me. Here, I feel I’m part of a big family starting with Deborah, Sarah Livia, my coworkers, and the guests. ¡Gracias!
Jennifer DeMarco- Contemplative Programs Coordinator. I’m grateful for the ability to remain employed here at The Ranch. I’m thankful The Ranch was able to reopen. Everyone is doing an amazing job meeting the protocols and standards under the new health circumstances. I also teach in San Diego at a couple of community colleges. And I’ve been certified to teach online. I am grateful to maintain my jobs and enjoy the abundance these jobs provide me. There’s food on my table and warm water. I feel very blessed.
Nayeli Suarez- Villas Spa Coordinator. I am very grateful my family has their health and I still have my job. I’ve seen a lot of people struggling with both. So, I’m very grateful. So far, none of us have COVID. I’m lucky.
Martin Cortizo- Food and Beverage Manager. This is a new time to learn how to be together. We have to work together for our families and create a better future. It’s a unique time to bring a new awareness of how we live. For that, I’m grateful.
Mathias Vazquez Robinson- Barista, Bazar del Sol. I’m going through some tough times and figuring things out. My family, my mom, has been very supportive. I’m grateful for the opportunity to change and the support my family has given me.
David de la Paz – Mindful Body Movement Instructor. If I need to look for a silver lining of this year and COVID, I would say it has made us aware of how much we need each other. You realize how much we are in this together. I miss the hugs, the touch and as a yoga teacher, the hand adjustments. We took closeness for granted because it’s always been there. We hadn’t given it much value. But when it’s gone, we realize how much we miss it.
Sandy Mora – Front Desk Supervisor. During the shutdown, even when the lockdown was difficult, I’m grateful that I got to be with my son and daughter 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for five months. We played games, camped in the backyard, learned to make pizza, and worked on our house. It was a special time.
Dora Ramírez – La Cocina Que Canta Coordinator. I’m grateful that I’m here to be grateful, that I wake up every day and that everything more or less works, and that I have a house and food. I have very, very much to be thankful for that I often take my body for granted, and how it helps me to do everything – see, listen, walk, write, hug, kiss, think and experience my world – every day. I’m grateful for having a wonderful family – mother, father, daughters, husband and my sister – for the love, support, kindness and all the fun that they give me and I give them.
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