Revisiting Pre-June

Stuck in the Middle:

Sitting on a bridge
Stream runs endlessly. Smoothly.
Legs dangle in the water.
Wind dances by, playfully.
The trees burst into fresh, green laughter.

To the left a city looms.
Giant buildings with glossy glass
hide and shield the violence of the streets
Suits flood the towers
while rags scour the asphalt.

To the right a field extends.
A forest and mountain gently embrace.
It's quiet there.
Blue-jays sing and deer sleep soundly.
Bored, but smiling.

Sitting on a bridge
Stream runs endlessly. Softly.
Legs dangle over the world.
Time dances by, rhythmically.
The stars wink with wisdom.

What I'm Doing: Reading, “Mastering Your Tennis Strokes.” (Published 1978, ft. Charlie Pasarell, Tom Okker, Arthur Ashe, Harold Solomon, and Tony Roche.)

212:

There’s a great deal of funky quirks and wonders within City Year. For instance, almost every Friday we meet in the wide open outdoors and perform PT- a series of basic exercises to gather attention to our service (just look for the 225 people doing jumping jacks in fierce red jackets). We do spirit breaks at the end of every meeting. We’re loud, obnoxious, and fantastic with youth. We also have founding stories.

One of the founding stories is called a Starfish Story. It is based on a short about a girl who is throwing starfish back into the ocean, saving them. For us, starfish are students. We are helping them "back into the ocean" so they can become strong, powerful leaders in the future.

A week ago I was told to write a Starfish Story about one of my kids. I chose Devon, a 9^th grader that endures the uproar of my Algebra class with an enthused, silent demeanor. I love Devon. He’s socially awkward and has a small level of special needs. But he tries very hard and has a great attention span when worked with one-on-one. Recently I convinced Devon to come to our after school program, and now he won’t leave my side. He’s like a tiny brother.

The story I want to share about Devon happened over the last few days. I’m sharing it because it is cute and innocent. I never want to forget the look on his face when he came to me with his astounding dilemma.

Devon just completed a series of addition and subtraction speed tests and I just finished dishing out a series of high-5’s targeted at his awesomeness. As I closed my folder, I noticed a troubled look on his face. Devon’s the kind of kid you can read like a picture book- his every expression couldn’t be more obvious. He said, “Do you think I have any swag?”

I told Devon he had more swag than the world itself. But he wasn't convinced. He seemed to think that he was lacking swag- in fact; he didn’t even know what swag was.

A little later, I was working on a computer in the back of the library. Devon was taking an internet quiz on “swag” next to me. He would tap my shoulder on each question and I would help him read through it and he would ponder about which answer to choose. Eventually, Devon reached the end of the quiz and it told him his “swag level.” Sadly, the it said that Devon had no swag. But Devon expected this, and although his shoulders slumped he wasn’t too let down.

We got off the computers and sat down at a small table in the middle of the room. Devon went into a relentless speech about how he was never going to obtain any swag, and I couldn’t help but make a Disney movie parallel in my head. He told me how he needed to learn to be a “smooth talker” and have great style, how he needed to walk with confidence and make good conversation. I let Devon roll on for a bit, then quieted him down. Before he left, I blew him up with so many compliments that his “swag level” shot over 9,000.

It’s no longer Pre-June (a.k.a. May). Rather, it is the actual wondrous June. Or, semi-wondrous. The thick humidity June. The slightly steamy June. The drips-of-forehead-perspiration June. This month marks the beginning of the Seamus (“Shame-Us”) Esquire Magazine comic series. Go check them out in the Seamus Comic Archive (SCA). 1-7 are now out.

SCA #1, Jonoy:

May was my last full month and it was jam-packed with action. It began with a mad series of six-day work weeks. I powered through Serve-a-thon where City Year organized 700 volunteers in the restoration process of a recreation center. Afterward I jumped on a bus with my co-worker Law to travel to Washington D.C (see "Journalism Journey"). My friend Nick trekked to Philly from Cornell and schooled me in NBA Jam with Scottie Pippin and the Chicago Bulls. Finally, I vacationed back to my hometown and organized a classy schedule for Fall, 2010 at the University of Arizona.

I’m heading into my last weeks of City Year and I’m down to only five days left in my school. Sooner than later I’ll be on a flight home to Arizona, one-way. It’s weird thinking that this year is almost over when it feels like just yesterday I was building IKEA furniture up in a barren bedroom.

Amelia Earhart once said, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.”

The countdown has begun. The clock is ticking and it’s almost time to close up shop. Let’s make every minute an adventure and make this concluding month impeccable.

-TWO-12