ONE YEAR IN DC!!
It has been one full trip around the sun since I pulled up in my white Ford Escape in the far-away state of Maryland for the first time. And before I begin, I will provide full disclosure that this post will be sappy and reminiscent, adjectives used to describe me even on a particularly bland day. I’ve dug myself into the deep abyss of my past blog and journal entries, very much reflecting on how my perspectives have changed over time. When I first arrived in DC, I only thought I was going to stay here for summer 2019. After wrapping up at the nonprofit I was working for, I envisioned a plan to return to Florida and start the next adventure — most of my belongings were still in boxes at my Florida home. If you go in the archives of my blog, you’ll see I had this tone of “I’ll come out of this summer changed in ____ way.” I had nearly no idea of the future that was about to unfold for me. Alas, I guess that’s life in your early 20's.
Grass time
In college, I created this activity called grass time. My grass times occurred all over campus and got me through some tough days of figuring out my future plans and also gave me an informal method of appreciating the beauty of the sun shiny goodness. Grass time is a simple prayer to me. And now my grass time happens on the Capitol lawn or the steps of my Church St Peter’s on Cap Hill. Before corona, I would often attend daily mass at St. Peter’s for my lunch break. Immensely grateful to be able to include mass in my schedule — I had this fear that when I left Catholic Gators and the ease of daily mass, that my liturgical faithfulness would taper off. There’s been some days recently where I would leave the Church (bottom photo) with the sun hitting my back, and you can’t help but notice the sun floating you along with boundless joy. And there’s been some really awful moments that can be compared to a polar vortex that hits DC in the beginning of May, giving us a morning temperature of 37 degrees. My friend described the fluctuation of moments as waves — the good and bad comes and goes, some waves hitting you particularly hard in the face, others giving you a refreshing rush of excitement. So what’s the good news?
Friends, pals, amigos
The two people on the left are my coworkers Rhett and Molly, respectively. We often have wine nights and now have book club to ~sometimes~ talk about Freakonomics IF I decide to do the reading assignment ;). Corona honestly has brought us closer together — time spent at Molly’s home instead of out at restaurants and bars. There’s a certain intimacy in the closeness of the home, a place where little parts of the heart are bore and gratitude for friendship is realized. Sharing work stories, life stories, and supporting one another has given me hope for friendship in this big city. Rhett, he’s an old cat, but I suppose he can dabble with the young cats from time to time.
Yes I was the girl that took a photo of the Zoom call. Not to be dramatic, but this book club has changed my life. We are reading Love & Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla (JPII before papacy). I’m thinking about doing a whole separate blog post on the book, but while my wheels are turning now, the book is helping me to love. It teaches me that the virtue of love is loving kindness, inconvenient love, and the sexual values are subordinate to the values of the person which require integration. There are so many pages that have impacted my life, my dull pencil point would tell you that I’m always frantically underlining and scribbling notes that probably are not legible. Here’s a solid excerpt:
“…the ethical characteristic of love: it is an affirmation of the person or else it is not love at all. It is informed with a proper attitude to the value of the person — this attitude we have called here ‘affirmation’ — it is love in all its fullness, ‘integral’ love. Whereas if love is not instinct with this affirmation of the value of the person it is an unintegrated love, and properly speaking not love at all, although the reactions or experiences concerned may have the most ‘amorous’ character possible.”
I be learning things
I’m being shown the wider scope of the person that I am here. In the fall, I got to work for someone that writes laws. He puts legislation through the Senate and represents the needs of Texas as well as the world in whole. Now I work for a former congressman who was runner up for Speaker of the House during the Clinton administration. Who gets to do this? I’m very much in the beginning stages of my career, but I am discovering who I am when I learn more about policy and the way it conforms to our values in this nation. Very happy to announce that my championing for God, family, country has not left me in the slightest. I’ve found that my desire to work hard increases when I mirror the difficulty through challenging physical workouts. As I have stuck around the streets of Capitol Hill, the Lord has placed this desire to advance my education on my heart. Last week, my GRE prep book arrived and I am studying to take the GRE in September. From there, I will apply to grad school here in DC to pursue a Master’s in Public Policy in Spring 2021. To study again for the first time in a year feels like trying to do sit ups but not being able to roll up more than half way. But really, to broaden my mind again is glorious and I wish to till the soil in the garden. Please pray for me as I set out on this new journey of mine! Oh also, I am in the application process for this exceptional townhouse with some great ladies, all we need is the approval from the landlord. Please please please! It will be in the H Street Corridor area and much closer to work. Breaking up with Maryland, but I am so desirous to invest in community right here in these city lights.
The End but also just the Beginning
I keep saying to everyone that it seems unreal that I am here, that I’m doing this. It doesn’t seem immaterial when the days pass, but when I talk to my Florida friends that are home or other places, it sinks in deeper that I did this thing. When I left Gainesville and Catholic Gators, I was so scared to leave that place that God found me in. Just because I left it behind, God didn’t leave me. He is with me even on the hard days of continual adjustment and loneliness without a huge number of friends. When I deviate in ways that I went through hell to correct previously, the Lord is with me because He is Emmanuel. He is with me when I learn about the virtue of love; hang with my Bible study, Book club and coworkers; and develop a new series of grass times. Thank you all for your endless support of my adventures and for tuning in to my life stories. It has been one year in the books and I can’t wait to embark on more journeys in the land of the swamp. I love you all and wish I could just squeeze and pinch everyone’s cheeks. But in the meantime, go gators and peace n blessings.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam | Go Gators
