A day off...to catch up!

Hello everyone!

My apologies that it's been so long since my last update.  I'll begin first by saying that we are safe & sound here in Scranton, we took extra precautions to prepare for Sandy's arrival and she turned out to be quite mild in our area.  We have not lost power and any damage in our area has been minimal.  That said, our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who were not so fortunate and are struggling to get through the effects of the storm.

The past month has been quite a whirlwind of activity here in Scranton.  Our house has been up to some pretty cool stuff, so I'll do my best to fill you in (in chronological order)!  First, earlier this month two of my roommates had commitments out of town, which would normally mean a quiet weekend here in Scranton.  Instead, I had some visitors come up from Villanova to visit!  Mike & Ian drove up after work on Friday and Brookie - after an unfortunate oversleeping incident due to her wacky hospital shifts - made it up on Saturday.  We had such a great time just catching up on all that's happened in our lives since graduation a few short months ago and I was so happy to introduce some of my friends from my home in Villanova to my new life here in Scranton.  I managed to take them up to Lake Scranton during their visit and I can't wait to see them all again soon when I head down there in November for the 1/2 marathon!

With Halloween a few short hours away, we've been prepping to get into the holiday spirit here in Scranton.  We went a few weekends ago to a locally owned family farm in the area called Roba's.  They have a "Mega Maze" that we spent the better part of an hour trying to navigate, marshmallow toasting for s'mores, and a giant inflatable pillow that kids can bounce on (and they let "big kids" on, too!).  We also got the chance to bring home our own pumpkins from the farm which we later carved but are now sitting safely inside our house as the winds of Sandy certainly won't bode well for our jack-o-lantern's candles!  The girls had a blast posing for this pumpkin shot at the farm:

We also got to enjoy the beautiful changing seasons up in the Northeast PA region.  Last weekend, we were invited on a hiking trip to Rickets Glenn, a park area about an hour outside of Scranton known for it's beautiful waterfalls.  We were accompanied by Tim Holmes, our tour guide extraordinaire, a local Scrantonian, father of an FJV who served in Portland, OR, and he just so happened to have his whole family in town last weekend for a surprise wedding proposal party...which we were also invited to!  Suffice it to say I had a very interesting weekend with the Holmes family, hiking by day, videoing proposals by early evening, and living it up in downtown Scranton into the wee hours of the night.  I cannot express how unbelievably grateful I am to have found such supportive people who have welcomed us into their homes and their lives over the past several months.  I am discovering an amazing part of the connected-ness this program provides it's volunteers.  The support of my immediate community members and their collective commitment to live the values of the JVC has been spectacular, but to see such a commitment echoed by communities all across the United States, and in the hearts of so many who have served in the past, their families and friends, is truly awe inspiring.  We were nervous to attend this family event for a family none of us actually belonged to by blood relation.  Yet in the midst of all the celebration & happiness, people thought nothing of it to stop and introduce us around as "these are the young men and women who are doing the program Emily did last year", and we were continually received with warm welcomes and smiles.  

Tim, our wonderful tour guide

Our campus tour guide!  Taking me back to my BK days...

On the work front, things have been going very well.  I actually just ran my first ever, totally mine, planned-by-me event for the kids at UNC.  We did a college visit field trip to Philadelphia to see two different colleges, followed by dinner and games at Dave & Busters, which the kids were all about.  As I slowly but surely start to solidify my many roles at work, it's nice to know that I can work on and develop programs that can have such an enormous impact on the futures of the kids at the center.  The weekend trip to Philly and the response among the kids that went has got me all psyched about the potential for even more academically-focused programming at work, from SAT preparation and college applications, to scholarship information and campus tours.  It's all very lofty in terms of goals, but I'm still hopeful about the possibility of building up a strong education resources center at my office during my year long placement there.  We'll have to see how that goes, but I'll keep you posted!

Our group on the steps of the
University of the Arts in Philadelphia! 

Some of the kids on the trip with us at D&B

And then, of course, there was this past week, spent hunkering down for the hurricane, explaining to some of my more Westernly-oriented housemates what a hurricane is and how we deal with one, to another surprise visit into our lives by an FJV.  We were invited to brunch by an FJV and her mom, two Scranton natives that were both ecstatic to hear about our service in Scranton thus far and quick to offer some helpful advice and perspective.  The place we ate at was unlike anywhere I had ever been before, a Mecca of brunch spots, nestled into the woods of Clarks Summit, PA.

Oh, and brunch...rocked.

There was a contest going on for most
creative pumpkin decoration!

I quickly learned that our generous brunch-time benefactor was not the only one in her family to have embarked on such a countercultural adventure as JVC, her sister had served in the Peace Corps and she had several cousins who were also JVs, or members of AmeriCorps. or Teach for America.  As we drove home from brunch I couldn't stop thinking about how blessed I was to have met these people, to have found that in my call to serve I have been joined by so many others who hear a similar call.  It got me thinking of a personal favorite quote of mine that I'd like to leave you with, by Margaret Mead.   

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, 

committed citizens can change the world.

  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

All my Love, 

Tom

Run, Joey Run!

This morning was the Steamtown Marathon, an annual event here in Scranton and a fantastic opportunity for me to see downtown all hustle and bustling before 11am.  I decided to go see the event at the finish line as it's right down the block from our house and I thought I might find some good inspiration for me as I continue my training.  Yup, that's right, I'm signed up to complete my first 1/2 marathon next month in the Philadelphia Marathon and I'm really excited for the challenge.  If you know me, you'll know I was a big runner back in high school on the cross country team and then had a slight "hiatus"- let's call it - during my time at Nova.  But in addition to the challenges of working and living JVC this year I've decided to add some additional challenges to my roster, one of which has been to work my way back into running shape.  So I will be running in the Philadelphia half-marathon next month (Nov. 18, if anyone's in the area!) and I'm really pumped for it.  

Anyway, I went to the event this morning and I had an absolute blast.  At JVC orientation, they taught us about a concept called "Self Care" which essentially means taking some time for oneself to recenter and keep yourself sane, in a way.  I've been using running as my preferred method of self care this year, as it gives me time by myself to think and clear my head.  This event, however, gave me so much more than just a clear mind.  I spent the morning watching loved ones cheer on Fathers, Mothers, Children, Friends and everything in between.  The entire time I was there, I must confess I felt nervous that at any moment someone was going to stop me and ask "Hey, who are you here for?" and I would have to sheepishly confess that I didn't know anyone running in this race.  That I was that creepy guy come to spectate without knowing any of the participants.  I continually had to remind myself that no such accusations were going to happen.  Firstly because this was not some sort of members only event where proof of membership would need be presented (although Pennsylvania does have events like those - see Election Day 2012).  And secondly because this was not the kind of event at which people need a "good reason" for being there.  We're all there for the same good reason, to congratulate and cheer on the runners as they complete this incredibly challenging test of physical endurance.  So after that initial discomfort, I found myself among a crowd of supporters cheering on each individual as they came down the last 200-m stretch.

^There were teams of volunteer medical staff on hand at the finish and then throngs of people there just to provide food, water, an encouraging word, whatever the runners needed after they finished their grueling 26.2 miles.  Among the crowds, there were families and friends, fellow runners who had already finished the race and just about everyone had a sign in hand, cowbell for ringing, or the sheer strength of their vocal chords to add to the roar of cheers.  Some were more light hearted and this one in particular made me laugh:

Anyway, I tell you this story because of the impact the event had on me and my life journey today.  Seeing all those runners complete the marathon gave me such confidence in my own ability to do the same next month (alright, mine's only a 1/2 marathon...but gimme a break I'm working up to it!).  I decided to head out for my "long run" today as my schedule calls for an 8 miler to keep up with the training and so my housemate Caroline and I went up to Lake Scranton to run.  I had such an amazing run today and I'm sure it is in part due to the enthusiasm I experienced at the marathon this morning.  Actually, as I made my way around Lake Scranton twice today, I happened upon 3 other runners who seemed to be trekking equally far and at about the same pace (we were running in opposite directions on the lake's path, though, so we passed each other 3 times).  On the third time around we broke the usually unspoken rule about contact with strangers during exercise and exchanged hi-fives and encouraging words as we passed each other.  When I finished up, we got to talking and I found out that they too were training for a half marathon, theirs later this month in Hershey, PA.  

Though these events may seem trivial, I couldn't help but appreciate the connectedness felt between these strangers and myself as we bonded over a common cause.  It was the same connectedness that I found meeting and congratulating strangers today at the marathon.  For just a brief moment, all of these people become equally important, no matter their gender, education level, socioeconomic status, etc.  When you cheer them on as they're finishing that race, you're not cheering them on because of any of those ancillary aspects of who they are.  You're cheering for them as a person, another person riding around on this little blue sphere of ours and for a brief moment we experience what it's like to really love another person for being just that, another person.  I have found running to be an excellent method of Self Care over the past few months as it's a means of separating from other people and refocusing my attention.  But today I found that running can act as a means of care for others as well, that when we drop all our pre-judgements and assumptions about other people and just see them as people there's the potential for connectedness with strangers that would not otherwise exist.  So I'm gonna keep on running and hopefully continue to discover that connectedness with other people as I do so.  

Thanks for reading!

Tom

P.S. to explain the title...that song was just stuck in my head all morning as I watched the race.  I know, kinda cheesy and not at all the theme of the post if you know the song, but there it is.  

P.P.S. Had to attach one more picture of a Scranton sunset from yesterday, it kind of reminds me of the fictional sky city from the Star Wars movies.  Thoughts?