Meaningful Aggression

On Monday of the trip I visited a man's house by the name of Mr. George. I went with a small group and we were working toward finishing up on the interior of his home. We had to do things like texturing, painting, and- my favorite- tearing up his deteriorated linoleum flooring.  The best part about this specific project was that Mr. George helped us and worked with us on the remodeling. He was with us through the whole experience and got to see his home transform. I knew that he was unable to live in the home for quite a while and I loved being able to  help him reach that goal of returning. He made me realize how we really are here not just to serve people, but work with them to accomplish what they couldn't without our help. Today I was really excited to sign up for the Mr. George project again. I had connected with it on a more personal level than the other sites and wanted to see the progress that had been made throughout the week. Sadly, not enough slots were available and I ended up working at a different home that needed to be gutted. I had already done it on Tuesday and I have to admit I was really disappointed. The gutting site had been a blast, but all I had really done was smash walls apart with heavy tools and release constant physical aggression. It was a great experience, but it didn't live up to the connection I had made at Mr. George's house. When I arrived I was working on dismantling the ceiling and I was trying to find a way to make the experience meaningful rather than just physically demanding. I found the solution unexpectedly. I was in a room alone and I spotted something in the rubble. It turned out to be a school picture of a nine year old named Derrick (it was depicted on the backside). Despite the fact that it was just a simple picture, it impacted me profoundly. I came to the realization that you don't need to meet the people you're helping. All that matters in service is that you are benefiting someone and it doesn't matter who. This boy had lived in the house and with my tireless efforts I was helping restore the home for someone else to live in. Another nine year old could have his school picture hanging up in the same room someday. I'll probably never know and there's a sort of beauty in that. I was doing the work without hope for immediate gratification. I was doing work simply for the sake of compassion and human decency. I realized that doing a job without affiliating with the person(s) you're helping doesn't make it any less meaningful or special. I found a way to make tearing apart ceilings and walls, covering myself with a thick layer of dust and dirt, extremely personal. This inspired me to work harder for the rest of the day, trip, and probably any time I do a service in the future. I hope this newfound philosophy sticks with me over time.

Molly Cassidy