It has only been four months since we have arrived, and surprisingly the start of transitioning from our former lifestyles to our current is long and gone. While it is safe to say that the adjustment period of learning to live with five other strangers is a continual process of practiced patience, compassion, and understanding, our community has learned that it is also a time to rejoice and delight in each other whether it is through conversations on what each individual’s spirituality looks like or through laughing and enjoying each other’s company while exploring new york city all together. From ice skating to celebrating St. Nick’s Day to community dinners, we have not only found ways in which forming community happens but rather we have actively sewn together the bonds of what we strive for our community to look like.
One of the lessons I’ve learned so far from this year has thematically paralleled with what New York City ultimately lacks: space. At the beginning of this year I thought that as volunteers and now current residents of NYC, there definitely was an imbalance of distribution in these two categories(lives as volunteers and lives as NYC rezzies).
By this I mean...
... when I earnestly rush to the train doors of a car that has just arrived in hopes of making it on time to my destination only to discover it is clearly the sight of an opened can of sardines, I feel powerless and unable to do anything but let that train pass. There is no way my body will fit inside that train.
...when I walked past the 11 of the 17 unoccupied rooms of our living quarters, I used to feel that there was too much space for six volunteers. We could not possibly create what is needed most when six strangers move in together: intimacy.
However, with this imbalance of physical space and lack of closeness, what comes with this is perspective. I realized that this year is about choices. We have the choice to make this year what we want it to be. I can push through and into that crowded train or I can let that train go and jump onto the next one. I can wander the hallways of my home and feel overwhelmed by the excessive space or I can explore its abundance and see the opportunity we all have to be creative in ways community bonding can occur other than community nights and spirituality nights.
The point is, being a volunteer is exactly what it sounds like. It is about making the choice to act, create, build relationships, reconfigure perspectives, and if none of that, then it is to ultimately delight in each other and this world.
With Love,
Cat & and the Astoria community
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