At the ripe age of 90 or so Gregory Sims of Philo seems to be unfailingly cheerful. In sightings over the past 20 years in Anderson Valley usually has a slight smile playing over his lips. Often spotted at the Grange or Boont Berry Farm Store in Boonville, his long wispy white hair under his trademark embroidered and embellished pillbox hat make him unmistakable even in a crowd. Sadly for our community, Gregory will soon join his extended family in the Palo Alto area after spending roughly 50 years in the Anderson Valley.
He and his second wife Janetti were living in Berkeley in the early 70s when they saw a flyer inviting people to join an experiment in alternative living in Mendocino County at the Rainbow Commune outside of Philo. They soon arrived in the Valley with their nine-month-old son Prairie. They were shown a piece of land and told that they could build a cabin on it.
At first they lived in a tent. Gregory reports that it was amazingly hard living the “back-to-the land” lifestyle. They had to chop wood, haul water and build everything from the ground up, literally. Later, they moved to a place off the commune where they had running water. He said it was a miracle how happy having running water made him.
Settling in, his wife got a job as a teacher at Clearwater Ranch and adjusted to their new life. Gregory struggled to get his academic credentials to work for him in a rural setting. It seemed his PhD from Stanford in psychology was not very useful for the daily chores that confronted him. Luckily Unicorn Ranch (school) in Philo eventually provided him with counseling employment for 30 years.
Like several other locals who were part of the Rainbow Commune, Gregory has made a life in Anderson Valley and it has worked out reasonably well.
We asked Gregory some questions about his departure:
What will you miss the most about Anderson Valley?
Sims: I will miss some universally kind and loving people here in Anderson Valley. It is always easier to be kind than to love. Kindness is the starting point.
What will your future hold and where?
Sims: A vision of being able to explore, maybe get back to work at Stanford. To do more work in the field of fetal learning and its relationship to wholeness. Maybe the “terrible twos” should not happen. The fetal child responds to music and maybe shares a much deeper learning. Can we solve the riddle of the mother’s rights and the infant’s rights? Humans learn like all animals. The body-mind is the source of learning.
Do you have any advice for younger people?
Sims: You have to get past words. The use of pulsation, breathing, and the compass of compassion are as important as words. You have to realize what it is to have a body and what the body-mind is. You have to let your mind fall into your body. In this way you can realize that it is possible to treat yourself and others with greater respect.
What is your biggest regret?
Sims: Before I die I want to send a wishing prayer that I would overcome fear because fear is such a pollutant. 99 out of 100 situations don’t need to be fearful.
Besides his contributions to two published academic books — “Treating spiritual Disorders” and “Personal Peacefulness- Psychological Perspectives” — and his work on a third about fetal learning and wholeness, he gained some local fame with his recent series, “So You’re 90; What’s Next?”
As he wrote, “Every day presents a challenge and an opportunity.” That certainly applies to this new phase of his long life. We hope Gregory enjoys spending his remaining years with his family in Palo Alto. We’re sure his family will enjoy being able to spend this time with him.
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