Beauty, Balance and Being

The Drive to Mitchelville Prison.
On our drive up to the prison yesterday, I caught a glimpse of the many beauties of this state. The glitter and glam of the sight was enough to have me spellbound and enchanted for the entire car ride. An energetic wind swept the sky leaving it spotless. It played with the fields and the corn revealing their under-belied shine. From West to East, the wind dove in an out of the fields mimicking the reflections and the motions of the sea.

The Interview.
As I mentioned previously one of my roles this summer will be to write a reference letter for one of the women who are receiving help from ICADV (Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence) with their commutation. The purpose of the reference letter will be to document their history of domestic violence and sexual assault by meeting with them every week and discussing their life story. If you can for a second, try and recall the worst experience you have ever had, and imagine having to tell it over and over again. Now imagine that that one horrible experience becomes your entire life story and you are asked to remember every single detail and tell it to a complete stranger. This is what these women are up against.
So needless to say I was a little nervous about my first interview, which all things considered went pretty well. The hardest part will be finding a balance between being overly friendly and too professional, between asking irrelevant questions and insensitive ones, between being empathetic and emotionless. The other thing I have a hard time coming to terms with is the fact that this woman is only a couple of years older than me and yet our lives could not be any more different. We come from such different worlds which are equally real and seemingly, equally unreal to each other. I can only say that my perspective and concept of reality has changed significantly…

The Evening Bike Ride.
Swerving, pedaling, crossing, maneuvering, pedaling, avoiding, faster and faster. Breathing. Magnificent, beautiful, riveting, glistening, pounding. Watching. Breathing. Appreciating. Enjoying... Loving... Listening... Feeling... Breathing. Pedaling, faster. And faster and faster, swerving, pedaling, crossing, maneuvering, pedaling, turning, changing. Being.