The Doldrums of Winter vs. Amate House

The following is a reflection written by Mark Piper, one of this year's South House Volunteers.

The life of a volunteer can be paradoxical; both fun and vexing, fulfilling but still insatiable, joyful but also rancorous, what else would you expect, with long work weeks, little pay, a lot of hope and determination in the face of obstacles and frustrations strewn about us as we navigate our journey through Amate?

The word attitude never once appeared to be uttered by Jesus in the Gospels, but let’s be honest explicit or implied, attitude has a lot to do with how we handle life, students, clients, housemates, rules, set-backs, relationships...oh yes, and this little thing called winter.

For me a person who couldn’t be a Stoic even if I tried, the ups and downs of life as a volunteer seemed to have been exacerbated in the winter months. Long days felt longer when I left the house for work, in the dark at 7:15AM and when I left work for home at 4:30PM, the stress level of the clients I saw going through foreclosure seemed to pique at the Holiday Season, and it was so gosh darn cold, I think if we stayed inside any longer we would have had cabin fever. You cannot even imagine the things we discussed as we were snowed in for the “snowpocalypse” of 2011.

But, with all that being said, when you are a volunteer, especially one in Amate House when times get tough at home or at work, it’s hard to let the winter blues beat you down too badly as the attitude of servant leadership instilled in us from day one, seems to inhibit complaints to grow or fester, sadness from turning negative and frustration soon turns into laughable moments.

So while the life of a volunteer can be paradoxical, in the end it isn’t the events or emotions that define us or our service – in this winter I think for myself and for South House as a whole we’ve discovered it’s how we proactively prepared for and then how we let positive attitudes react to unfavorable weather or circumstances. If we can survive below normal temperatures, 20 inches of snow in 36 hours, living in the dark, with fickle heat, while still putting our best foot forward for the interest of those we serve (that’s why we’re here after all), I think in a battle royale between Old Man Winter and Amate House there is no match at all. With the attitudes instilled in all of us, my money is on Amate House, after all, winter is now gone… we’re all still here.