Wednesday , February 19, 2020

Wednesday , February 19, 2020

The day started in a very similar fashion with Jack Studley and Gavin O’Hara, who has been getting no credit, making breakfast for everyone. After breakfast, many of us gathered outside to partake in a quick game of basketball before beginning our work. 

At around 8:30, members of the North Shore Unitarian Universalist Church arrived; Krystal came to help, and  Nick came to direct our work. This work mainly consisted of yard work around the church for the day. We split into two groups. One was in charge of taking care of the flowerbeds with Krystal, and the other group was in charge of cutting and clearing branches with Nick. The flowerbed group worked strenuously in order to uproot invasive plants such as weeds and other atrocious, sun-stealing, and destructive plants. Brandon, Bowen, Roy, and Nick worked hard to transport an enormous plant to another location at the church.

Across the yard, the other group worked with with Nick to rid the park of any infiltrating branches that lowered the quality of the yard by blocking the lighting. Jackson and Jack worked with chainsaws to cut down branches on the trees. Peter, Max, and Avery were tasked with the enjoyable job of cleaning up the branches the “chainsawers” cut down from the trees. Mike Deminico worked with shearers to cut down different branches as well. After working for about 4-5 hours, we all came back to the house. There were some of us who were able to get a much needed nap after a hard morning of labor. Others of us played cards or worked on other such things.

Next came the big potluck held inside the North Shore Unitarian Universalist Church. Many devoted members showed up to meet us and made some traditional southern cuisine for the group. When we arrived around 6:30, we began with an introductory circle, stating our names and what we’ve enjoyed doing in New Orleans so far. All of us sat down with members of the church and enjoyed the food and conversed with the devoted members. We were introduced to the philosophy behind the Unitarian Universalist ideals and many of their life stories that led to them becoming members. It was then that we realized that you never truly know someone until you engage in meaningful conversation with them. What these amazing people went through in their lives really made us think of what we take for granted, and inspired us to take a new approach to how we go about our lives.

Peter McGillicuddy and Max Mangum