April made quite the entrance, with a strong rainstorm, and an unnecessary amount of pollen! We really have a little over a month before we have to become real adults or something like that. It’s time for another monthly check-in on how I am doing in these 4 areas of life: social, physical/health, occupation, and spiritual.
Social
Ya boy turned 24 this month (March 4)! I was more than excited to celebrate my birthday with the Whited’s, some friends from Raleigh, and my entire immediate family (seeing my brother and his wifey was definitely a surprise, as they live in Baltimore). March 2 is my younger sister’s birthday as well, so the weekend was spent eating jambalaya and king cake, running and playing soccer, and hanging out with family. The fellows celebrated Luke’s birthday the weekend after, and we all went on the Silent Retreat at the St. Francis prayer center in Stoneville, NC (separate from his birthday haha). The Fellows took part in a March Madness bracket challenge, and we all (to some extent) have been keeping up with college basketball and all of the craziness that has taken place! We didn’t have many retreats the 2nd half of the month, so we all spent time visiting family, seeing old friends and making new ones, and just enjoying Raleigh for all it has to offer, especially with the weather starting to warm up!
Physical / Health
I am still in the process of training for a half-marathon. I have been going on 4-6 mile runs here and there, but now it is time to kick it into high gear! Some of the Fellows actually ran a 10K a couple weekends ago; that was a nice way to get a feel for how a race day goes, and it served as a gauge for how to pace myself and how I feel during a longer run. I also had the opportunity to attend a tryout for a USL2 soccer team(Tobacco Road Football Club) based out of Durham, NC. The tryout included a ton of D1-D3 college athletes, and a few recent college grads / young adults. There were about 40 people that attended, and I am currently waiting to hear back from the coaching staff. If I were to make the team, it would mean that I get to spend this upcoming summer traveling and playing semi-pro soccer, fingers crossed!
Occupational
I am still working at Refugee Hope Partners! Work can seem mundane or pointless at times, but I am really appreciative of the things we do at RHP. Not only do I get to teach kids math and english, but I have started to develop a relationship with some of the people there. Some of the kids are more than willing to read or do math homework, as long as I am willing to listen to them talk about their day at school, or their middle school love life, or their favorite basketball players, or whatever the topic of conversation. There has been a recent push (within the Fellows group) to start looking for jobs and finding out where to work after the Fellows year is over. While I want to be cognizant of the future and plan ahead, I want to finish strongly the work that I have been tasked with at RHP, and I want to fully give myself to my co-workers and the kids during this last month.
Spiritual
Honestly, throughout the month I feel like I have been spiritually poured into a ton, and I feel pulled in a bunch of different directions. March 2 was Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of the Lenten Season. I decided to give up listening to music when I am by myself, which has been challenging, but I spend car rides and time before bed reflecting on the day or having a conversation with God. The day after, I was blessed with the opportunity to lead the Fellows weekly Roundtable discussion. We talked about the word ‘and’; what it looks like to be more inclusive and considering in our thinking and approach to things (and how Jesus was and is the living definition of the word ‘and’). Our Genogram papers were due roughly a week later, and while that was an amazing experience, it was definitely emotionally and physically draining, especially for those who maybe stayed up late writing it haha. The Silent Retreat was that next weekend, and that was a wonderful weekend away where I got to spend valuable, much-needed time with the Lord. About a week and a half later, Ashley and I sat outside her house in some wonderful weather and we went over the mid-year reviews (which was a sum of all the toasts and roasts, reviewing the Good-Bad-Ugly sides of myself haha). Needless to say, a lot has happened this past month, and I don’t think I have devoted enough time to sit down and think about / reflect on everything that has been happening.
Alright, time to get off this trolley. Until next time!
BB
** Some Fellows Pro Tips from the month of March
- Early morning coffee is a good way to spend time with your host fam, before everyone’s day gets busy.
- Leaving from COTA, give yourself ample time if you decide to day-trip to Chapel Hill.
- Do not attempt to cook GF/DF meals if you are not an expert in using coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and flaxseeds. But understand that you can’t always please everybody.
- ESPN has a Smart Autofill bracket option for March Madness. You are honestly better off flipping a coin!