Delight.

 
Wow. How this year has flown by so fast- Up here in Washington Heights, we cannot believe that it's already January! Our fall was full of a lot of exploring NYC, getting used to life here and enjoying all that the big apple has to offer! We have enjoyed a lot of the touristy spots, but also enjoyed the parks in our neighborhood (in Upper Manhattan) and of course, Central Park! You can see a picture of the 911 and the tree at Rockefeller Center memorial below:)

All three of us went home for the holidays, and while home, were faced with many questions from family members-- What will come after the GSV year? What will you DO with your life? What are  you going to do after this GAP year? What do you want to do when you enter into the REAL world?
All legitimate questions- expressing concern and care for our lives. However, it made me really think...

Is this GSV experience really a 'gap' year experience? Am I still not a part of the 'real' world? Hmm. I'd say that the experiences that GSVs have are almost more REAL, raw and authentic than some people will ever face in their life. We arent really taking any sort of BREAK or GAP, but really plunging into difficult positions where we face challenging questions and being forced to ponder- who defines this so-called 'REAL' world, anyways?

Seeing the effects of abuse, poverty and neglect on the lives of clients, students, families, children, people we have grown to truly deeply care about-- that has really shown us a lot about what the REAL REAL world is like.

So what will I DO with my life? Well, I sure hope I have the opportunity to do more of THIS life. Surrounded by fellow social justice nerds who listen to me as I passionately rant about my day. Supported by an intimate group of recent grads who loves to have fun, and also loves to help under-resourced communities. Interacting with families and students who have such resilience, intelligence and creativity- I feel blessed to have the chance to work along side them.

So for now, for this moment, in this very day. I will delight in what is right here, right now. The beauty that surrounds me through the opening of hearts. The stubborn student who finally gives math a chance when I effortlessly try to make it fun. The bullied girl who stops empowering the bully- stops letting the bully have the power, and takes it back into her own hands.

I will delight in cheaply made meals- rice and beans, pasta with vegetables- the yogurt, oatmeal and PB & Js. the 2 for 1 soup deals at the bodega down the street.  I will delight in the creativity that surfaces as we often scrounge around for something to eat.

I will delight in the creaky, hissing old pipes of our apartment, and my consistent failed attempts to use my limited Spanish to communicate with our neighbors. I will delight in the trips to the 99 cent store to buy a can of beans to accompany our rice for dinner. the commute to and from work, where people-watching has become less of a fun hobby and more of an every day occurrence.

But most of all- I will merely delight in the blessing it is to be right here. right now. Through the trials, the struggles and the challenges. A beacon of light always shines through those grey clouds, no matter how daunting they may seem. There is ALWAYS something to be delighted in, even though sometimes it just takes a bit of digging away the dirty grime to get to the hidden treasure.


Our community has put a large emphasis on GRATITUDE and focusing on what we DELIGHT in.
We created a Thank Tank and a Delight wall, created out of chalkboard paint (pictured here)
We write various things that we are thankful for and put them in the Thank Tank. We also write small things that we delight in with chalk on the Delight wall.
We encourage any of our visitors to do the same :)

So come visit us and join us in our movement of delighting.
or consider starting a revolution in your daily life. a revolution of turning frowns upside down. seeing the glass half full. and most of all embodying joy in this world that often works so hard at telling us to settle with hum-drum, mediocre lives.

We invite you to join the Wash Heights GSV Community in embracing the ordinary this year.