I'll be honest and say that I haven't intentionally made myself uncomfortable every day over the past couple of weeks. Maybe 80% though? Or 75? I don't know for certain, and I haven't done a great job of recording my tasks day by day. Here are a few of the things I recall in no particular order:
- Participated in 4 days of a phonathon to raise money for Columbia's annual fund. At Davidson, I called alumni to request volunteer hours, but asking for money was so much more difficult! Mostly, people didn't answer me, so I was just mildly bored. A few hung up. A couple of others told me to call back later. In 8 hours of calling, I raised $150, had a few lengthy conversations with men who graduated in the 50's, and received one kind note from a man in Alabama.
- Made an attempt to strike up conversation with every person who sat at my table in a very crowded coffee shop. This task was made more interesting by the fact that I was writing a sermon with multiple bibles and a giant sketchpad spread before me.
- Rewatched The Ring. Alone. With all of my lights on. I don't watch many scary movies, but this one's occasionally creeped back to me ever since I saw it at a middle school sleepover. The ones that scare me most involve things that I know could never happen. Eek!
- Held yoga pigeon pose for 15 minutes on each side while listening to sad, sad music because a wise and wacky friend once told me that we store negative emotions in our hips. Don't worry--I had friend solidarity in completing this task. No one cried, but we did a lot of deep breathing. This was the first uncomfortable physical task I completed, mostly because the physical ones seem somehow easier than the more nebulous emotional/mental/spiritual ones. It was painful, but finite, and easier because it was shared.
- Signed up to play in an ultimate frisbee tournament, perhaps against my better judgment. There's a seminary league, and pastors-in-training are surprisingly competitive. I've thought about backing out a few times, but hey--discomfort, right? Right?
- Visited a detainee at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA, where the U.S. government holds immigrants while deciding whether to deport them. Stewart is run by a private prison system, which profits from those it detains. I was there with a group of Columbia students through an inspiring volunteer-run organization called El Refugio, which provides hospitality to families who are visiting their loved ones in detention and arranges visits for those whose families can/will not visit. I spoke for an hour through a plexiglass window with a man I'd never met before.
- Scheduled office hours with two professors I admire. Especially in grad school, I've discovered that the potential for relationships with faculty is a tremendous resource, but I find myself at a loss for where to begin. Outside of class, what am I supposed to talk about? Well, evidently, there's more to say than I thought, as I spent around an hour with each one. This uncomfortable task is one that I envision paying off for the next three years.
- And I preached a sermon!!! As a part of my preaching class, we're to deliver two sermons to our peers and professor during the semester based on any scripture passage of our choosing. With love and 40+ hours of labor and some help from friends, I'm including my first in a post soon.
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