Editor’s note: Who We Are will return next month.
By Karen Barbee.
He can’t help himself. He simply must follow his heart, saying “if there are people who need help, we can find those who are able to help.” This man lives from the foundation that a community takes care of its own, that when we come together to do right by each other there will be enough.
He is a connector, finding those who can help and asking directly for that help; finding those who need help and giving it his all to find the resources that will help them end the day with food in their belly, a home to sleep in, and neighbors who care.
You might say it is in his blood. His mother and father, Dolores and Jorge, modeled living a life of service and instilling the value to care for others. Looking on his 42 years of life, Nick knows he has always had the awareness of importance in giving back. His parents raised two sons with this heart of caring about others. His brother, Daniel, finds his path of service through being a priest. For Nick it is in the people of the Crestone area, “this community is my church. I would rather give to people here, to help those who need it.”
By the time Nick landed in Crestone he had a wide range of experiences, from running a highly successful event planning business to being robbed and living off the streets with not a penny to his name. He is not one to let either the shine of success or the depth of pain corner him. Rather, he has a willingness to let life’s experiences impact him, refine him, give him purpose and direction. He lives a spiritual life from a physical platform, holding a sense of sacred in the work he does through the organizations he is involved in, his business, and his personal life.
His laugh is hearty, his energy high and his heart as wide open as the sky. He encourages others to live from this deep well of giving what they have, be that money or time, food or a ride, or even a simple hello. His experience of being homeless has given him an intimate understanding of what it means to be seen as a valuable member of the community even when times are tough, noting the importance of how a simple nod or eye contact can lead to the experience of being seen “like a person and not like a problem.” The day Nick rolled into town he had very little and by the goodness of others found the resources to stay. He is a firm supporter of the Free Box, a perfect example of those who can, give and those who need, receive.
Make no mistake, though, Nick is a straight shooter. He is not shy about being a steel rod in times when there is something of value that is being threatened. It is his aim “to build relationships rooted in trust so that when the times come that we need each other, there is a strong foundation.” He works hard to bring the people of the community together and has over the years hosted the community meal, which at first drew 30 or so people and now draws 300.
People who work with Nick through his business, Mountainside Reality, soon learn he is in it to help them find a not just a house, but a home in a community of people. He supports them coming to the area to thrive and encourages them to jump in and help with events, be that cooking for a community meal, helping to set up the Energy Fair or the Neighbors Helping Neighbors yard sale.
It can be dizzying to witness all he does, but he is the first to say he could not and cannot do what he does without the help of others. He has the ability to inspire others to jump in. With the shared effort the programs are successful and the people they are meant to serve are gifted. He understands the quality of life we each have is improved when we unite.
When asked what he gets out of doing all of this, he responds with his hearty laugh before replying. “Focusing on just making money and what will support only me is not the way I believe life is to be lived, rather to use my unique skills and talents to raise up the people of my community, to increase and raise up the level of happiness for all.”
For Nick, money is a tool that gives him the ability to support the community. He firmly holds to the strength that is created when we work together, when we work for the good of each other.
Through his life Nick has learned how to pay attention and to see signs, following the Divine and keeping a focus on what needs to be done and taken care of now.
There is a saying in Tibet: “If you take care of the minutes, the years will take care of themselves.” With Nick in our community, the citizens of Crestone can find some peace of mind that there is one person who is giving his full heart to taking care of the minutes.