A Melancholy Love Letter

Hello world,

My name is Casey Kowalchuk, and I’ve been living at the Atangard for almost 2 years.

The film above is made from footage that I captured at our annual directors retreat in April of 2017. I only got around to editing it together last weekend after it started gathering digital dust from 7 months on a hard drive.

For events like the directors retreat, we make it a priority to gather all the residents together in an environment different from our home. I’ve found this helps change the dynamic of our community. This year we rented an Airbnb at Cultus Lake. Everyone came together and memories were made. The context from which those memories bloomed feels melancholy to me now. We can’t always be so intentional with spending quality time together at the house as when we we’re stuck in a cabin together for a weekend. Also, some of our friends in the video haven’t been around for months.

Last Spring seemed very hopeful. Now it is nearing the Christmas season and the mood is different. This last month has been very challenging for most of the current residents, with a near death experience of a housemate, and tough challenges faced by the directors. I’ve been reminded that anything can change drastically at any moment.

Wow, do we ever have it good here at the Atangard. I’m trying my best now to try and enjoy each moment of it and be willing to accept changes as they come.

It’s not healthy to spend a long time in the past, but it feels good to reflect on positive moments in small doses. This video is a flirt with that memory from last April. I hope you like it.

Cheers,

Casey

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