Service is how a life finds meaning.
We believe being of service is a central part of bringing meaning back to a life that lost it. We gain far more as a giver than as a receiver. Service builds self-esteem and confidence, and it instills faith in oneself.
If we put good out into the world, good comes back.
Across cultures and traditions, people are called to be of service to others. We have found that service and self-care feed each other: the better a man learns to care for himself, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, the more he has to give to the people around him.
Those feelings translate into how we experience our environment, our home, our community, and our world. The age-old saying tells us that what goes around comes around. What we put into the world is what we get back.
Changing the stigma, one Saturday at a time.
Every Saturday, the men of Ranch House engage in Service Work Saturday. Changing the stigma of addiction is an important part of our program. By engaging with the local community, we show that people in recovery are no different than anyone else. Mistakes are a part of life. Owning them and moving forward is what brings about real transformation.
Service Work Saturday
If every task is a practice, nothing is separate.
If we can approach every part of the day as a spiritual practice, there is no separation within a life. It is our intent to give every resident the chance to practice exactly this, so that every task and every hour at the ranch becomes an opportunity to grow. The following is the posture we bring to the work, and the filter through which we observe our experience.
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I
Taking joy in serving others
Be fully present in every task. Act with genuine care and support. Find joy in helping others, and reflect on the experience for the growth it offers.
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II
Treating each thing as a spiritual offering
What is being offered to me in this moment? What lesson is embedded in the trigger, the stretch, or even the monotony of the task? What does ritual and repetition offer, and where are the openings for attunement and refinement?
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III
Refusing to be pushed about by judgments and preferences
An embodiment of mindfulness in every moment, building new neural pathways that attune the mind toward gratitude. Not "I have to do this," but "I get to do this."
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IV
Doing the best job you possibly can
What other option is there? We work toward a life of excellence for the sake of being a good contributor to the community and inspiring that same quality in others. You can work from this posture anywhere and still change the world.
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V
Becoming one with the work, getting in the zone
How can meditation exist even in traffic? This posture trains us to see life itself as a spiritual practice. It heals the assumption that there are only certain times set aside for connection. Your life is a living map, in every moment. We are simply working to attune the eye to see it. Where your attention goes, energy flows.