Day 22, Wednesday July 24, 2019
The day before, on my way from Washington D.C. to New York City, I caught up on my journal - posts that had been pending. When I reached New York, I felt a sense of peace, as I walked out of the station, the chaos gave me a strange sense of calmness - it felt like home. I took the day to relax unwind and catch up on my sleep, walked around briefly but the day was slow, I spent it reflecting, as I moved passed crowds - wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
I woke up the next morning and made my way to Long Island City, to visit Travis Tinney, director of development at ACE. The Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless (ACE) works with homeless men and women throughout New York City. It provided these individuals with job training, work experience, and a lifetime support network. Their main aim is to help these individuals achieve their goals and gain economic independence. I went through a brochure near the waiting area, as I waited for Travis, that gave me a fair background on the organization. I cannot begin to tell you how inspiring my meeting with Travis really was - we shared many notes, on the situation at both ends, in New York and in Karachi. I had so many question for him - I was truly intrigued at the success of the program as he had explained. Every city, every community, should have such programs, that help individual build themselves a better world - sometimes all it takes is ONE opportunity to change your life - to change a life. I am going to go to the graduation of these wonderful individuals that choose to change their life, with the help of ACE and hear their stories first hand - I cannot wait!
I had my last therapy session with Nancy, though I am glad I was getting a chance to thank her and say good bye. As I waited, I got there a little early, and skimmed through the pages of the books the lay in front of me - every page I opened was a conversation on its own - signs from the universe as I would call them. Though my meetings with Nancy were short, yet immensely detailed - I felt our conversation gave me a great deal of calmness and clarity. I am sincerely thankful for her direction not only personally but also professionally. I left her space with a exchange of small, which was so much more from her part, a book by Thich Nhat Hanh on mindfulness and details about the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study. This which I thought, was definitely (hopefully) not the end to our many more conversations. Next stop was to fill Abbie, in on my week and to get the schedule for the next and final week. We walked over from Apexart, to a coffee shop in the vicinity - our now weekly ritual. I am always about filling Abbie in on what I was upto and how each scheduled activity went, considering she is the one who puts it together with so much love - and I ask her every time, if she has been where she is sending me on my next adventure (the answer is usually a negative - tsk Abbie, we must do something about that - hahaha!!)
I was meeting Elizabeth later in Brooklyn, she was to accompany me to volunteer at Books through Bars at Freebird Books & Goods. Again, I had done zero homework or read up on the activity, and I thought I would learn more when I got there (being in the moment - taking one thing at a time - as I had begun to call it - worked out great!). It was small space underground - a little curious library. It had shelves from right to left, top to bottom, all around, organised according to genre or subject. The process was fairly simple, we pulled out a letter from one of the prisoners, based on the letter, we put together the closest, if not the exact request, weighed it and packed it away, with stamps and details that were added to the package. It was the most humble experience, it was almost like we were assisting these prisoners to escape the walls that held them captive by giving them a whole world that they had asked for through these books that were donated and shelved in this little space. It was such a beautiful thought - that unfortunately had never crossed my mind. I
also need to mention that the clouds on this day were breathtaking!
Elizabeth and I walked down and found a place to sit down and chat some more. We talked about a lot of things, though we had not interated much during the course of my fellowship - strangely it felt like this was not our first meeting - it was oddly very comfortable (I would have to thank her for her simplicity and down to earth nature - I found it rather easy conversing as we sat and walked down the streets of Brooklyn). We also made a stop over at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade (if I remember clearly), but I clearly remember the view - Manhattan lit in the distance - it was stunning.
This indeed was a great welcome back to New York City - the break was needed, for me to come back and appreciate what all it really had to offer.
