Since coming back to Denver a week ago from my break, I have been really refreshed and energetic, which made me think, Wow, why isn't life always like this? So I decided (for myself as much as for you) to paint a picture of what a normal day is like for me- not just what I do, but what it's really like to be me.
6:15. The alarm clock goes off. Some days you hear it, some days you don't. Today you hear it. You hit snooze really fast, then lay in bed thinking, Come on, will. You can do it. You can choose to get up. You can...
6:20. The alarm goes off again. You quickly turn if off, take a deep breath, then roll out of bed. You can't really think clearly yet. You try your best not to complain in your mind, but rather to think about how thankful you are. But mostly you just don't think. You try to spit out a "good morning" to your roommate as you get ready for the day, but you're not sure it's quite intelligible.
6:39:30. You put on your shoes, grab your keys and a coat, and rush downstairs with the other nine women. Genuflecting as you pass Jesus in the chapel, you head out the door with everyone and are greeted by a frigid, dark morning. If you weren't awake before, you have no option now. You look up to the sky and try to find a star, and smile on the inside when you do, because it doesn't seem worth the energy to smile on the outside yet. You start talking to your teammate walking beside you, and you start to remember what makes it worth getting up when you are as sleep-deprived as you are. A few blocks later, you arrive at the Cathedral.
7:00. Mass begins. Though some days you struggle to stay awake every time you sit in the pew, today you're pretty excited because you only struggled once. You receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of God. Wow. Real life. You decide to re-start this day with a better attitude than you had earlier this morning.
7:40. You saunter casually back home, singing to yourself and thinking about how great life is. You walk in the back door to find your teammates smiling, laughing, preparing breakfast, and setting the table. You join them, but you don't take off your coat yet because it's kind of cold in the house right now. Shortly after, breakfast begins, and the long table is filled with people reaching for a box of Silly Circles (off-brand Cheerios, in case you aren't familiar with them), shouting to someone across the table, or laughing about a dream they had. Someone sniffs the milk and announces that it's fine for another day or two.
8:20. One of the guys asks if he can take your plate for you. You're really glad that we have such awesome guys. You figure it's probably time to start cleaning up, so you help clear the table. You are still tired and you know that there won't really be any free time for the next week, and that little voice inside your head says, You don't have to help with dishes. It's not your chore. They can do it themselves. At this point in life, you're pretty familiar with that little voice. So you grab a towel and start drying dishes. Someone turns on some music, and it's more fun... But you are still only doing dishes by a sheer act of the will.
8:50. You grab a few carrots, a donated sandwich, a couple bus passes, and a book, then head out the door. You're going to the Gabriel House today. As you walk the few blocks to the bus stop, you pull out your phone and leave a voicemail for a friend, then you decide your hand gets too cold to be making phone calls right now. You try to say hello to those you walk past. When you arrive at the bus stop, you get excited that you won't have to wait since the bus is already pulling up. You hop on, take a seat, and start reading. As the bus approaches your stop, you find yourself thinking, I wouldn't mind just staying on the bus and reading all day... But you get off anyway.
9:30. You greet the women you work with, put your lunch in the fridge, and head to the back room. A donor left a few bags of clothes, so you open one and start sorting. It's actually kind of relaxing. The woman working in the front room brings back a couple folders with a list of the items the women need, so you assemble bags of things for them and bring them out. You start talking with the women, and soon you are working the front room instead of the back room. A woman enters. "Hola, cómo está?" you ask. She replies, "Fine, and you?" A little embarrassing that you tried to speak Spanish when she spoke perfect English, but no big deal. You pass on the list of things she needs to the volunteer in the back.
1:00. After lunch, your day only gets busier. Today all the other workers and volunteers have left except the director. On the desk lie a referral form you need to email, a post-it with names to be put on the waiting list for specific items, and a couple application forms that need files created. Your mental to-do list is packed with things you need to get done today and things you'd love to organize at some point. But for now, there are three mothers, a father, and six children in the front room. You try to work quickly so you don't keep them waiting too long, and you've learned that you feel stressed when a lot of people are waiting. But you're thinking about how to balance that with being a missionary to them and not just a resource for material assistance. You're still not sure where that line is.
3:00. You lock the house, and although it's been a good day, you're relieved to be able to finally do some of the things you didn't get done all day. You email, alphabetize, clean, and organize, and you conclude it's worth staying a little late today to work on one of those projects you've been envisioning completing.
4:15. You head out, feeling accomplished now that all the bottles and pacifiers are in order. After waiting a few minutes, you get on a crowded bus and find a seat. It doesn't take long till your head's doing that ever so recognizable I'm-sleeping-but-I'm-trying-to-stay-awake nod. The bus comes to a stop, and you look at the street sign just in time to get off at your stop.
5:00. You rush in the door, set down your things, and head to the chapel for evening prayer. You're pretty glad you live in the same house as Jesus. You want to stay in the chapel for a while longer, but there's a guest coming to dinner. You help get ready for dinner while discussing the day with a couple other missionaries. Everyone takes their place, and you put on your "Totus Tuus" mindset. (If you don't know what that means, I'm not about to explain, so pretend I didn't say that.) You take turns with the other missionaries talking about your life while passing around plates of tortillas, rice, meat, etc. You try to listen as the guest describes his life, but you are at the end of the table and can't really hear much.
6:30. After dinner, you and another teammate start washing dishes, this time because it is your chore. You're thankful that other teammates have stayed to help you. You remind yourself what a blessing it is to be able to serve your community members by washing their dishes. You remind yourself that this is your path to holiness. You remind yourself that you are choosing to wash dishes.
7:00. You find people hanging out, and you sit around and talk. This is one of your favorite parts of the day- just being with your community. You check your mailbox. Meh, you think, I never got mail in college either. You check the washer, but someone else is using it right now. You could clean your room, but you'd rather not. You just relax.
9:00. Night prayer begins. It only takes about 10 minutes, but then you stay and pray because you didn't get any personal prayer time today. You are once again very glad that you live in the same house as Jesus. Then you walk around the common space again to see if anything is going on- you kind of have fomo (fear of missing out).
10:00. You head upstairs, put on some comfy clothes, and fire up the ol' laptop. You check your various accounts, and you also send some emails for Christ in the City. You create a to-do list for the rest of the week, but you know you probably won't do them all. You think about working out, with absolutely no intention of doing so right now. You realize you only drank one glass of water all day, and you didn't eat any fruit. You take some vitamin C and vow to stay more hydrated tomorrow. You find other women on the floor, and start chatting without realizing what time it is. Well, sometimes you realize what time it is, but you just choose not to think about it.
11:30. You are really tired. You are really tired. Your body is exhausted and your mind is exhausted. It's time, you decide, and you get ready for bed, careful not to make too much noise. You crawl into bed, almost as pathetically as you crawled out of bed in the morning. You are truly thankful for your day, and for the day you'll have tomorrow, but you're glad it won't start for another six hours or so. You say a few more prayers, and the next thing you know, it's the start of another day.
