Ch. 2 Reflect: integrating the old and new - meeting new people, reuniting with old ones, stepping out of comfort zones
 |
| My long time friend Quentin and I! |
As I type up this reflection, I am having trouble finding all the key points to reflect on from this past month - which is a great thing! This past month has been one of the most eventful months I have ever had. Despite the moments where I felt overwhelmed and anxious, I must say that it was refreshing to learn new things, meet new people, and even reunite with long time childhood friends. In regards to my house, I am finally beginning to settle in with sharing a home with four lovely souls and developing a small community that is unique to us. As for my placement at the Pauli Murray Center, working there has given me a huge affirmation that I want to work in the arts, and I have thoroughly enjoyed expressing my creativity through posting to social media!
In my intentional community, I am noticing that we are always willing to go out and explore new things. I can say that all of us have been out and about almost every weekend of September! I am also noticing that we are very effective in communication, as our GroupMe (yes, we use this!) chat is full of plans, sharing different events, and sending advanced notices of when we are planning to leave home. This collaborative effort along with cooking great meals on a shared budget are some of the ways that we are very effective and communicating and collaborating with one another.
In regards to work, I am noticing that working in nonprofit is one of the best ways to learn to work in a collaborative manner. Coming from someone who is more of an independent worker, I must admit that there have been some difficulties in regards to completing tasks. I am so used planning efficiently on own to the point where it is difficult (and somewhat nerve-wracking) for me to ask for help. Despite this, I am reveling in the fact that teamwork is done very naturally in the team. We are all very efficient individual workers, but when we come together as a team, we have great chemistry. A personal breakthrough that I experienced is that I facilitated my first meeting with my four student workers last Thursday. I was not required to do this meeting, but I took the initiative to do so! The purpose of the meeting was to begin laying down a foundation for social media structure. Factors of the structure would include when to post, what kind of content to post, avoiding making political posts, etc. I remember walking home from work that day with a sense of accomplishment and happiness and going, “Thank you, God.”
To sidetrack a bit, I reunited with my childhood friend, Quentin at a LGBTQ+ Pride event. We have known each other since elementary school. Yes, I know, a LONG time. I also reunited with another old friend of mine named Madison Torres. She commented on my Facebook post about the Pride event and revealed that she was also there! We exchanged numbers and now we are texting again! I wonder why some of my old friends have crossed paths with me again? Is it a sign from God that I should revisit them one last time before I move on to the next phase of my life? Or is it all just a huge coincidence? Hmm, an inquiring mind must know haha!
In my intentional community, I am noticing that we are always willing to go out and explore new things. I can say that all of us have been out and about almost every weekend of September! I am also noticing that we are very effective in communication, as our GroupMe (yes, we use this!) chat is full of plans, sharing different events, and sending advanced notices of when we are planning to leave home. This collaborative effort along with cooking great meals on a shared budget are some of the ways that we are very effective and communicating and collaborating with one another.
In regards to work, I am noticing that working in nonprofit is one of the best ways to learn to work in a collaborative manner. Coming from someone who is more of an independent worker, I must admit that there have been some difficulties in regards to completing tasks. I am so used planning efficiently on own to the point where it is difficult (and somewhat nerve-wracking) for me to ask for help. Despite this, I am reveling in the fact that teamwork is done very naturally in the team. We are all very efficient individual workers, but when we come together as a team, we have great chemistry. A personal breakthrough that I experienced is that I facilitated my first meeting with my four student workers last Thursday. I was not required to do this meeting, but I took the initiative to do so! The purpose of the meeting was to begin laying down a foundation for social media structure. Factors of the structure would include when to post, what kind of content to post, avoiding making political posts, etc. I remember walking home from work that day with a sense of accomplishment and happiness and going, “Thank you, God.”
To sidetrack a bit, I reunited with my childhood friend, Quentin at a LGBTQ+ Pride event. We have known each other since elementary school. Yes, I know, a LONG time. I also reunited with another old friend of mine named Madison Torres. She commented on my Facebook post about the Pride event and revealed that she was also there! We exchanged numbers and now we are texting again! I wonder why some of my old friends have crossed paths with me again? Is it a sign from God that I should revisit them one last time before I move on to the next phase of my life? Or is it all just a huge coincidence? Hmm, an inquiring mind must know haha!
 |
| In my photography mode! |
Spiritually speaking, my journey is going in waves. Some days, I feel as if I am on top of the world; and other days, I feel as if I could care less. Anxiety can be a pain in the butt sometimes. What brings me peace is that thoughts and feelings are like the seasons of the year - they come and go. And though I am still learning to come to terms with this, it brings me a true sense of understanding that there is always a tomorrow, and that I cannot accomplish everything in one sitting. Servant Leadership training has definitely taught me this, and it has also taught me how to live in the present moment. As scatterbrained as I am, I must say that I am very proud that I am holding myself accountable for my thoughts, emotions, and reactions.
End of Blog Song: "Home" by Seventeen. I love these guys so much!
Comments
Post a Comment