Don't Move Here: The Reverse-Glacial-Pace of Staying Busy

If a Glacial Pace is measured by the rise of sea level (SLR) with the consequence of glaciers melting, then measuring time in the form of SLR increments would feel as though one hundred years passed since an event had taken place. That is, of course, if a person was using the glaciers of Greenland as their Atomic Clock for the countdown to boredom induced insanity, then yes, some days and weeks would feel much longer than others. However, there is a reverse button on the sedateometer. It isn't quite tangible, though it can be and will be discussed later, rather the swiftometer comes in the form of occupying time with work and wonder.

November through January were enjoyable. There is no doubt about that. Only they were slower months, days, that consisted of work, cold weather, and not having a firm direction. With a long and pleasant interview on January 13th, I received a nod and wink as a Peace Corps Nominee for a potential departure of June 2010 to Sub-Saharan Africa. Subsequent to this exciting opportunity, I was to complete an extensive Medical and Dental Review along with gaining more volunteer experience. Eager to gain a step ahead in the list of candidates, I contacted Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay and set a schedule to help work within the offices. Working in their office would be a great way to understand how an organization of this caliber works, but I knew it would not be sufficient. Through some research and recommendations, I discovered the Volunteers In Public Schools program in Falmouth. Several background checks later and I have been working at both organizations. The VIPS program has been killer. I work in several classrooms helping 4th - 7th graders with their English skills to gain a step ahead and an appreciation for our language. Aside from both of these I've been working as tutor for English as a Second Language with a young Jamaican man, roughly 19 years old. He has not received a firm grasp on English. We have been working with the ABCs and trying to do phonics styled exercises. A Barnum and Bailey's Tiger Trainer would have a better chance at teaching him than I would, considering my lack of teaching experience, but we are gaining some speed. It is glacial one could say, although the equation of each of these experiences makes for life to be rather expedited.

While these "professional" tasks have occupied the majority of my time, the weekends are savored at a pace the proverbial tortoise would ridicule. When Loverboy sang, Everybody's Working for the Weekend, I'm confident that his lyrics were, and still remain, true that everybody is, in fact, working strictly for the those two measly days off. Quick as they may come, each hour should be the best hour of the day. Three weekends are now locked into my history and with them I stole the chance, this is where the tangible aspect is delivered, to savor the suns balmy winter gaze, dodge potholes across Boston, wake up a little earlier, breath easier, and laugh with the company of my friends. The following role of film captures each of these weeks that went by too quick, when all I wanted was to add a just a fraction of a second to each of these moments and enjoy them for a several more fleeting minutes.