Day three leads me into the realm of community. Which, when asked during my application interview for the race what I thought would be hardest for me community was my answer.
For a little background, I’m a girl who grew up as the only child in the household (for the most part). Over the last 6 or so years I’ve only had one roommate for less than a year. I’m used to living alone and doing things on my own. Being thrust into not only tight quarters but a very radical form of community I knew would be more than a little challenging.
Without further ado, the question posed is:
What has been the most challenging about living in community?
As I was talking to a teammate who has been with me the whole race about this I realized this is kind of hard to decide. Community is great, Ive grown to appreciate it a lot more than I could have imagined, but if I’m being completely honest my month 11 perspective is slightly skewed. With the finish line being insight we’ve all had to fight a lot harder to appreciate community. I’m trying to set that aside right now and really get to what I found the MOST challenging.
If I had to describe it succinctly it would probably be that almost every decision that I could make personally either effects those around me OR can’t be made without the input of those around me. It’s really hard to wake up in the morning on an off day and think about all of the things that I want to do, and then realize that even things as simple or personal as a shower, are dependent on when the people around me are showering or even waking up. It has allowed me to grow in my flexibility and grace for others as well as shown me how much I value freedom.
While I’ve learned to see the value of community I’ve also really come to appreciate the independent, introvert part of my personality. Some of my best memories and moments with God on the race (and in life) have been found alone and I almost feel guilty about it. Almost, but I’ve found value in it and appreciate that it’s just how I’m made.
I’m so grateful for what living in this type of community has done for me over the last year. Would I choose to live in this particular brand of community again? Probably not. Fortunately the likelihood of sharing one bedroom and one bathroom with 5 other people who I also work with all day long is slim outside of a weeklong mission trip.
When I get home finding and reconnecting with community will be a huge part of how I spend my time over the first month. I’m looking forward to moving forward bringing all that I’ve learned in how to love and live with the people around me. I might even be on board for a roommate.
