Looks like I got an easy break today
 |
| Behind our center after the snowfall |
We got to go back to the Food Bank today which is run by one of our partner organizations in WyCo and provides low-income families with a grocery cart of food and free reign of their "mall" of donations. It's always really incredible to help out there--we meet so many great people (like a 64 year old who can karate kick the ceiling) and we get to hear stories from people who have had ASP work for them in the past. In a time when we don't have a lot of volunteers, I think there's beauty in feeling useful and in being a part of something that is doing so much good. For the record, there were 2,174 households from our county (that's 1/5 of all the households in WyCo) recorded in their database as meeting the standards for the organization which is an income at or below the poverty line. (For a couple that's $15,000/yr and for a family of four that's $23,000/yr). However, only about 200 of those came to claim their free goods and we were told that this is mostly due to lack of transportation. Regardless, I'm so impressed by what they're able to give away and I'm really glad we're going to get to be a part of it for the rest of the year.
Saturday, January 19th:
Today we went to sign two new projects, both for genuinely incredible families. Our work is really going to have a big effect on their homes and lives. I think I'd have to say that my beautiful moment for today is the fact that I essentially get to walk into a stranger's house and say "Hey, I'd like to change your life, is that cool?" That feeling helps to make all the "sorry, we can't help you"s a little bit more bearable.
Sunday, January 20th:
Unofficial New Year's resolution has officially begun--I have a membership to the gym! Standard West Virginia, it takes 20 minutes to drive there, but at least the drive is pretty! I was actually really impressed by all the equipment that was available. There's a full length swimming pool (and, weirdly, a hot tub) an indoor and outdoor basketball court, tennis courts and a fully equipped fitness center. There's even a fitness center room just for women. So after I spent about 30 minutes getting stared at by guys in the main room, I ended up in the women's room all by myself, and it was so great. One of the biggest problems that I have when I workout is that I get bored doing the same thing for too long and/or from listening to the same music. My workout today was perfect, partly because of all the options I had and partly because I found some amazing workout mixes that I was able to download for free. They're from a site called Steady130 and I highly recommend them for anyone in the same spot as me. I started the hour-long mix and just worked out doing random stuff until the music stopped, and I barely noticed that it had been that long. Today's beautiful thing would have to be how great it feels to accomplish something you've been wanting to do, and especially when it's a healthy thing. Not to mention that it's really sunny and warm outside again!
Saturday, January 19th:
Today we went to sign two new projects, both for genuinely incredible families. Our work is really going to have a big effect on their homes and lives. I think I'd have to say that my beautiful moment for today is the fact that I essentially get to walk into a stranger's house and say "Hey, I'd like to change your life, is that cool?" That feeling helps to make all the "sorry, we can't help you"s a little bit more bearable.
Sunday, January 20th:
Unofficial New Year's resolution has officially begun--I have a membership to the gym! Standard West Virginia, it takes 20 minutes to drive there, but at least the drive is pretty! I was actually really impressed by all the equipment that was available. There's a full length swimming pool (and, weirdly, a hot tub) an indoor and outdoor basketball court, tennis courts and a fully equipped fitness center. There's even a fitness center room just for women. So after I spent about 30 minutes getting stared at by guys in the main room, I ended up in the women's room all by myself, and it was so great. One of the biggest problems that I have when I workout is that I get bored doing the same thing for too long and/or from listening to the same music. My workout today was perfect, partly because of all the options I had and partly because I found some amazing workout mixes that I was able to download for free. They're from a site called Steady130 and I highly recommend them for anyone in the same spot as me. I started the hour-long mix and just worked out doing random stuff until the music stopped, and I barely noticed that it had been that long. Today's beautiful thing would have to be how great it feels to accomplish something you've been wanting to do, and especially when it's a healthy thing. Not to mention that it's really sunny and warm outside again!
 |
| The view from the windows of the gym. Not much right now, but I'm looking forward to how this will look in the spring/summer! |
No comments:
Post a Comment