Out of the Ordinary

I am not just any ordinary college student. I am a volunteer at the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus. During the week I attend classes and complete assignments like every other person on campus, however, my home life is very different.

Some days are easier than others in the sense that I can do more for myself and the property that I live on. You see, I love finding an area that needs love and letting myself be completely engulfed by the project. At first it started small. I would rake leaves and mow small areas with a push mower. I love smelling the grass and seeing how much better this place looks after simply giving the ground a haircut. I then learned how to drive a riding mower. This new skill allowed me to make larger areas of the property more beautiful. And yet my most impressive task happened during Lavalla Service Weekend.

I was entrusted with the job of leading various groups of Marist students to help clean out the ice house. The ice house had a simple purpose when it was originally built. It was the building where all of the ice was stored for the property, hence its’ name. This beautiful stone building is a staple of many gorgeous photos with our pond and fountain. It was a building that served such a great purpose for the people that lived on this property before freezers were invented. We no longer store ice in the ice house because technology has allowed for our lives to be simple and convenient. For many years it has been used as a large storage unit. It became the house for bed frames, wood couches, pool materials, and so many other forgotten treasures.

Over the years however it had become a little neglected, messy and crowded. So during the Lavalla weekend I made it a mission to show this historic building some good old fashioned love. We removed every single item that had been placed inside that house. We then sorted the items and cleaned the items that we decided to donate to an amazing woman that needed furniture more than we did. We discarded some of the items that were simply too old and dirty to be loved any longer. Before placing any items that we wanted to keep inside the house we cleaned every inch of the furniture. The end result was truly breathtaking.

I love manual labor. I love the way that my muscles feel after a long day of work. I enjoy the satisfaction of making an area look so much more beautiful and welcoming. I am not an average college student. I have chosen to live in a community that will allow my mind, heart and soul to grow in ways that I never thought possible.