Day 2 – Pick an Apex assignment and do it.
(Apex
is the curriculum our students at the Crossing use).
An assignment from English 11B
Reflective Composition – Write a
three-paragraph reflective essay that focuses on something you did or learned
in school in the past year.
A Lesson in Solitude
The
world often classifies people in two categories – extroverts and introverts.
With many individuals, it’s clear they are one or the other. We can all
probably name the obvious people-persons in our life, as well as the quiet,
reserved homebodies. For most of my 23 years, I’ve been a pretty definite
extrovert. I love people and conversation, and I’m often refreshed by company.
This past year, though, my mode of refueling has changed. It seems that I’m
becoming more comfortable with solitude.
When
I first started working at the Crossing, the idea of solitude never sounded
appealing. I’d just come from constant community in the college life, and I had
little desire to separate myself from the comfort of people. Then, God started
to change some things. Suddenly, I
needed a different kind of rest. I found myself starving for a moment to sit by
myself and write. I often daydreamed about Saturday mornings where I could drink
coffee and read on the couch. Solitude became a welcomed thing, rather than the
threatening idea it used to hold in my mind.
After
years of thinking activity and busyness equaled spiritual success, I found God
asking me to say no to more things. This terrifying idea of being alone forced
me to do everything I could put my hands in and to be the “yes” girl. I needed
to be still – even in the midst of my active schedule.
The
extroverted, people-pleasing lifestyle can be difficult to build solitude into.
Life will only get fuller, though. If I can learn to slow down and just be,
then the future will look a lot more hopeful when kids and other craziness come
into the mix. Solitude is not just
for hermits. We all need to take time by ourselves – to be still and to be
aware of the One present.