Community

I have been blogging late for the last two days.  I promise, it isn’t intentional, but it has indeed been the pattern.  Not totally sure why, but I have been busy with a lot of nothing.

Yesterday, my Resident Advisor, Cody, took me into his room for our introductory session.  Basically, he asked questions about if I was doing okay, classes weren’t too hard, he could do anything to help etc.  However, we soon came upon the subject of homesickness.  I could tell that he wanted to get there; I don’t know how that “6^th Sense” is suppose, so I bluntly addressed it.  Yes, I write many letters and it looks like that I am the most homesick guy here.  But I’m really not.  I simply have rekindled my love of writing and I keep myself well entertained.  I love the college life and this is my home in many ways.  I’m a red devil! 

However, I also noted that I am cold to the guys on this floor.  I discovered this during my personal reflection time last night, rather accidentally.  I realized that I hadn’t spent time in the lounge, by and large I kept the door closed, and when open I was busy at my desk and rarely invited community or conversation.  So far, I was doing well at avoiding the young men on my floor.

I’ll fess up, some of it was elitism.  Some of it was that I enjoy my private time.  A lot of it was that I keep my door closed because my room is right outside of the lounge and therefore it acts as an “extension” of the lounge when my door is left open.  But, it really doesn’t matter why I was acting cold, the simple fact of it was there.  The part that really kinda twisted and turned in my heart was not only was I not responding to the community, the guys were really trying to reach out to me. 

So today I resolved to be more a part of the community.  I don’t know if they realized it, but I did.  I spent an hour just talking in the lounge, particularly on Affirmative Action.  I did my readings in the lounge with them, I just spend a half hour talking to Louis about God and the great things that surround us.  Life is so much better when lived in community, and I cannot believe that I forgot that.

For that is how it happens.  We slowly and surely start shutting people out until we realize that our community is a shoe string and we are hopelessly lost alone.  Here’s to people, here’s to friends, and here is to living with people rather than without.