World Race is all about community. We cannot go anywhere without a buddy. I have grown accustom to having people around, never having quiet, and depending on the security of another. It’s actually quite funny because I am a very independent person. I am fully capable, like to do things on my own, don’t need people’s help, and like doing things my own way. But on the Race I have loved the dependence that I have learned. I enjoy having guys on my team to make me feel safe and help with things. Community living has its perks. It feeds my extrovert side by always giving me someone to talk to or sit next to on the bus. But it hasn’t always been easy.
If you were to ask me a year ago about the anticipated challenges I had, community living would be in the top three. I have not always gotten along with my peers and the thought of living with a bunch of people in their early 20’s did not sound enticing. Most of the young 20’s I’d met where interested in drinking, clubbing, and being immature. Three things I do not take enjoyment in let alone have tolerance for. I am happy to report that this year has changed my view of young 20’s. We all have passions, desires, and challenges. We are all searching for success, a place to fit in, and the desire to be known. We may go about it in different ways, but deep down we all just want a place to belong.
Community living takes grace, patience, and a desire to make it work. One of the most interesting challenges is getting along with people who I didn’t choose to be a part of my community. How do you spend 24/7 with a person you enjoy? How do you spend 24/7 with a person you can’t stand? Everyone has those friends who are great friends, but you could never live with. How do you create friends that are deep and enjoyable, when you never leave each other? The question, what did you do yesterday, is obsolete. I know; I was there.
Think about it, when you catch up with friends it may last a couple hours. Most of the conversation revolves around catching up on life and hearing what has happened in the past week, month, or year. Not on the Race. I have to learn how to talk to people daily without talking about the news, sports, or television. We can talk about “friends in the neighborhood” (fellow racers) but be careful not to gossip. We can talk about back home, but it’s a bit rough because we don’t really have a context of home. Ha ha, community living is a bit harder than you thought. It’s actually quite amazing to me that we have new things to talk about each day and that I have such good friendships. The questions, how are you feeling? What is God teaching you? How is your team? What are you doing after the Race? All become very prevalent. We laugh at times when we finally find things to talk about that are “normal” and not Race related.
Community living has been great. We joke that when the Race ends it will be weird to find ourselves alone. It will be weird to sit in a car alone and not have a buddy. I have really enjoyed this aspect of the Race and it has taught me many things. It’s equipped me for the future and helped me grow up a bit.
