surface

How many times do we ask others, "How are you?" They automatically reply with, "I'm good. How are you?" We give another automatic response and then go about our day, focused on us and all the things we must accomplish in order to feel as though we were productive throughout the course of the day. What if we actually took the time to give those around us more than a quick glance and a five second conversation? I think we have an indifferent attitude sometimes when it comes to the welfare of others. It's not that we don't care but it's that we don't want to invest the time necessary to sit down and have a serious conversation with someone. Maybe it's because we're dealing with our own issues and don't want to be put in such a vulnerable position because when one person shares, doesn't the other feel a certain amount of obligation to do the same?

After spending a week in L.A., my perspective has changed. We worked alongside people that I would probably avoid, just because I wouldn't take the time to move past the surface. People with piercings and tattoos and brightly colored hair but who are so cool. We got to know one guy (shout out to T.J.) when we visited a place called Skid Row and he had his eyebrow pierced along with his lip (I think) but he was super friendly and helped us as we nervously/anxiously mingled among the homeless. It was as though, because we were all there for the same reason, we were able to automatically look beyond physical appearances and see people for who they really were. Why do I struggle with doing the same thing back home?

I think having a change in environment can foster a sense of boldness that we wouldn't otherwise have because we're in a place where we don't have a history (good or bad) and can portray ourselves as we'd truly like to be. We realize that we probably won't see any of the people we're around ever again so why not pull out all the stops and be bold? The hard thing is maintaining that attitude once we return home and the sense of sameness threatens to settle back over us. We don't need to leave what happened in L.A. to stay in L.A. We need to become contagious and let what we experienced spark something in all those we meet so that they can become contagious as well until we're all infected. To quote one of the girls in my cabin at camp, "I want to be like a sneeze so that all are infected who come near me" (my paraphrase). Achoo.

Here are some random moments from the trip:
~ Chelsea wearing only one sock because Kamisha took her other one.
~ Nate creating a tent in his bunk and apparently doing so while the others were asleep but they would wake up to find his head sticking out of said tent with him watching them.
~ Walking by the guys' room and hearing Eric say, "What's the policy for child abuse?"
~ Meeting Big Booty Judy and Big Bertha.
~ "Have a nice day!"