Wednesday, June 28, 2006

reflections on outsiders

This past weekend I had a friend visit from Sioux Falls. I was suprised at how draining it was to try and explain my entire lifestyle to a person who has no clue about what I do or why I do it. Trying to explain intentional community is like trying to grab water. It is something to be experienced, to be soaked up, not to be discussed. When I am seperate from my community part of me is missing. It sounds silly and codependent, but the eight of us are really one whole and it is very difficult to have one part of that body missing.
Also, trying to explain my job and why I love it is also really draining. Often times, the only people that I can discuss work with are my coworkers. When we have a particularly draining day (today we saw 400 clients!) I can really only process it with the people who are closest to me.
In a way, having visitors is very difficult. I want to be hospitable and share my experiences with the people I love, but it is really difficult sometimes to do that when I am trying to process this whole year.
But it is so important for people from other parts of my life to learn what I do here, because so much of it has shaped who I am and who I will become.

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