Hit the Ground Running

This post was started two weeks ago, but if the pace I've been keeping this first month back in Chicago is to be indicated by my tardiness in actually posting it...


It's been almost two weeks since I landed once more on Chicago soil again after my brief time away, and between getting to know my new community mates James, Christian, and Sarah, re-orienting to the Chicago Dwell program and East Garfield Park, and back to work full-force at Sarah's Inn, I have definitely hit the ground running.

One of my primary concerns towards the end of my first term, only a couple months ago, was that I would have a very difficult time separating my experience from my first year to my second year.  Staying in Chicago and staying at Sarah's Inn were both desirable for providing continuity from which I could deepen experience and learning - but out of concern for my new community mates' ability to have their own unique experience, and out of an equally strong desire that I continue to learn and grow and be challenged in my second year, approaching this second term as its own distinct experience was really important to me.  So important in fact that I sat down my former community mates and talked out my concerns with them long before the issue was on the actual horizon.  Luckily, there already seems to be more than enough newness at the start of this year that my concerns now seem somewhat unfounded.

The primary struggles I seemed to be having in the first week or two were ones that I knew I would have - continuing to negotiate and take ownership of my desire for balance in and between my work and community life.  My first couple of weeks back at Sarah's Inn were insanely busy.  My supervisor and I (who comprise the entirety of the Prevention Program) are in the midst of creating bigger and better lists in order to provide some semblance of order to the chaos that is the last few weeks leading up to what I am affectionately terming "School Season."  "Summer Season" is coming rapidly to a close - too rapidly, but all liminal times must come to a close.  "Summer Season" consists of wrapping up the previous year and planning for the next year.  We get to dream, be creative, critique our own programming, do research to strengthen our programming, come in at odd hours, and work closely as a team rather than two employees with a whole bunch to do passing each other only as we do paperwork or rush out the door to present in a school.  Here at the close of our "Summer Season" is the clash of deadlines and timing where the demands of appointments  necessarily trump creativity.  It's going to be a Very busy last week before we officially start School Season. Prayers for sanity are always appreciated.

Fundraising update:

$1,785 - pledged already!

$6,500 - total goal