The airplane blog

As I fly somewhere over the distance between Ohio and Texas, learning that not all American Eagle tray-tables were created equal (I must hold my laptop on my lap … my plane home had superior laptop-supporting tray-tables), I know that it is official: I only have three weeks left in Booneville… sort of.

Unlike my teammates, who are working on saying goodbye, I am saying, “see you soon.” In some ways I think this task is deceptively harder than the former. For Rachel, Katie and Kyle, all loose ends must be tied by the end of April for better or for worse. Their goodbyes are fairly final. In my case, it is easy for me (and perhaps equally easy for those in the community) to think of May as a small hiatus where if my loose ends remain loose, they can be tied upon my return.

Of course this is not the case. What I must continue to remind myself (somewhat of a procrastinator by nature) is that my return in May will bring a new and different set of responsibilities. My involvement in the community will, without doubt, look different than is has for the past seven months.

My newfound enjoyment of church on Wednesday evenings might continue, but not at my small Catholic church. Rather than consistent Monday through Thursday afternoons at the Boys and Girls Club, I anticipate shorter, drop-in visits. Of course, I do hope to continue weekly line-dancing lessons at the senior center throughout the summer.

I can’t say I’m concerned about the transition for myself; I think I adapt well to change (perhaps adaptability is my no. 6 strength?). However, I have heard transitions can be hard on Booneville. For this reason I am striving to do the best job I can at preparing the community, especially those less familiar with YouthWorks, for the changes in my involvement.

And while I am a little bit saddened to see my involvement with GreaterWorks coming to a close, I am very excited to introduce YouthWorks to new corners of Booneville and touch more lives as a result of the work I have been doing since September.