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Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Saturday, June 17 7:00 AM: My phone wakes up, and yells at me to put it back to sleep. I groggily oblige it. I do not offer myself the same courtesy, instead donning my running gear. 7:06 AM: After a stop by the bathroom and the water fountain, once more I head to the top of the hill for my run. My roommate opted to stay in bed today. I can’t exactly blame him. 7:08 AM: Shush, legs. You did this yesterday and you were fine. You’ll be okay. 7:11 AM: You’ll be fine. Shush. Shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuush. 7:17 AM: Another strong finish across the bridge. I do few sets of bodyweight shenanigans, paying no mind to the cargo-shorted, Birkenstocked Quakers often found at this time of morning. 7:30 AM: I feel less sticky than yesterday (though I’ll always be tacky). Still, a shower is undoubtedly warranted. It’s marvelous. 7:36 AM: And once more, over to the SAYF dorm for breakfast. It’s the same fare as yesterday; mixed greens, yogurt and oats and banana, and a hardboiled egg (Mom cooked and brought the eggs for me, as well as a little Ziploc bag with some salt; I love her). My food remains uneaten by the ravenous teens. I count it a small miracle. 7:55 AM: I sling my pack over my shoulder and wander down to the main building. I still have hours before the morning starts (today is much the same as yesterday; variations on a theme), but I have some work I can do. #productive 8:03 AM: Mmmm, coffee. I settle in at a folding table downstairs. I give due attention to my Facebook and tumblr feeds. I make some progress on the next adventure for my D&D group.
8:38 AM: You know what’s not great? I mean, lots of things, but among them is iced tea that’s been sitting out all night. Don’t judge me; science demanded an answer and I had the power to provide one. 9:13 AM: I set that work aside and pull up the sides for an upcoming audition. I only need to prepare a couple pages, but they sent me the full script. I’ve read it before, but could use a refresher. 9:42 AM: Damn, Ionesco is interesting but hard to follow. Which is sort of the point of his work, I suppose. 9:59 AM: Okay, I’m done with that. I’ve read Act 1. I’ll finish the rest later. I wander to the student lounge and read for a bit. 10:26 AM: A young SAYFer keeps putting his hat on my head. I used to babysit you, you punk. Just because you’re almost as tall as me (which, gross) and have an earring (which, ew) doesn’t give you license to harass your elders. Garrumph. 10:38 AM: It’s time to head out for worship sharing. I got a lot from yesterdays, and I’m looking forward to this one. Same group as last time. 10:48 AM: There’s nobody here yet. Business meeting was supposed to end 20 minutes ago, but Quakers will be Quakers. 10:55 AM: People finally start wandering in. Some side comments imply drama during business meeting. My interest and concern are piqued. We may be a peaceful bunch, but that by no means precludes conflict. 11:13 AM: In response to the query “How can I use my talents to weave our world together?” a Friend responds “I don’t understand the issues, so I just pray, and that’s all I can contribute.” In worship sharing, you don’t reply to others, speaking only from personal experience. At the current moment I have a really hard time staying in line. 11:46 AM: Worship sharing ends. This was a tough one. My tummy rumblings sound like thunder. 12:00 PM: Lunchtime! Yes! I sit with Dad—I haven’t seen much of him this weekend (he’s Clerk this year, which means he’s as close to in-charge as Quakers get). A few other older Friends join us. I get a quick recap of the excitement in business meeting. Jinkies. 12:23 PM: People won’t stop praising Dad for the way he steered the Meeting through that conflict. Come on, y’all, it’s Father’s Day tomorrow. I wanna talk with my daaaaaaaaaaaad. 1:05 PM: My padre has to prepare for tomorrow’s business meeting, aka Fun Quaker Tensions Pt. 2. Dad and I didn’t get to chat during lunch, so I offer to skip my afternoon workshop and go on a stroll with him; he loves the idea. I follow him and the Recording Clerk and watch the magic happen. 1:4 PM: They wrap up. We go to stash backpacks in his room. 1:30 PM: Bags safely stowed, we head back out. Clouds rolled in while we were inside, so we sit on the dorm porch for a while to let the rain pass. He explains in greater detail about the drama. Everyone was right; he did steer the Meeting well. I’m proud to be his son. 1:52 PM: The rain has passed over, so we head out on a walk. Dad wants to get out of the center of campus before more people foist their opinions on him. 1:54 PM: We do not succeed. Opinions begin to be foisted. 2:13 PM: Quakers have a lot of opinions. 2:19 PM: Quakers have a lot of opinions. 2:22 PM: Looking beleaguered and besieged, Dad finally manages to extricate us and we book it towards the college farm. 2:31 PM: We pass a dead squirrel covered in a cloud of flies. Fun. 2:45 PM: We round the far corner of the farm and start to head back. We’re talking deep issues, now—Dad’s been dealing with this nonsense for a year now. He and I have connected more and more in recent years, for which I’m boundlessly grateful. 3:08 PM: Our walk comes to a close—there’s a YAF-led worship sharing in a few minutes. Fortunately we’re already by the main building. Hug. Part ways. 3:10 PM: There is one other YAF present at this YAF-led event. I’m glad we’re such a cohesive community. /end sarcasm 3:17 PM: We were supposed to start a few minutes ago, but in good Quaker tradition, workshops ran late. People trickle in. We continue to wait. 3:25 PM: I start. We take a moment of silence and I read the queries. The sharing begins. 4:45 PM: I blink, it seems, and over an hour has passed. Time to wrap up. The older Friends shared some very powerful messages. I have quite a bit to think about. 5:00 PM: Dinnerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. It’s the simple supper night; just rice and beans, nothing fancy, to remind us of everything we have. 5:33 PM: I catch sight of my little brother, who’s attending just for his graduation tonight. We embrace. I’m glad to see him, even if just for a moment. 5:42 PM: Having been recruited for the talent show tonight, I need to head out. My backpack’s still in Dad’s room; I hope it’s unlocked. 5:45 PM: It’s not unlocked. I shoot him a text, hoping beyond hope that my phone finds service in these damn mountains. It goes through. Sigh of relief. 5:46 PM: My phone immediately loses service. Sigh of frustration. I go to find him. 5:53 PM: I check my phone, and find that Dad sent me a message. He’s been at the room for five minutes. Quick jog up the hill and stairs to retrieve my bag. 5:55 PM: Backpack recovered, I go to the gym to prep for the talent show and find out exactly what I’m doing. 6:02 PM: The talent show starts. There are three of us at a table beside the stage. Our role remains undefined. 6:05 PM: The first act ends, and we toss out a quick pun to satisfy the crowd. 6:09 PM: The second act concludes and we do the same thing. We’re getting into it now; our job beginning to come into focus. 7:28 PM: The talent show ends. Thunderous applause. While the crowd wanders over to Chat and Chew in the corner of the gym, a sudden terror grips me. One of my committees has yet to run an errand regarding graduation in (checks watch) four hours. A quick look around, and my co-members are nowhere to be seen; I briskly walk to the dorms to try and find them. 7:33 PM: They’re not heeeeeeeeeere. 7:34 PM: I find someone with their digits. My savior! 7:36 PM: Turns out they left without me. Thanks guys. As long as it’s done, I guess. 7:59 PM: One upside of being left behind: I can guiltlessly participate in the community contradance! (See my Dance page for more details) I grab a partner for the first dance. The music begins. 8:08 PM: The dance ends. I run back to check my phone really quick—and find an emergency message from the YAF clerk. Back to the dorms, I guess. 8:10 PM: We meet about graduation, ironing out the details. The other YAFs are nowhere to be found, so they can deal. 8:26 PM: Decisions made. Back to the dance. 8:54 PM: Spinning. Moving. Exhilarating. 9:25 PM: The contradance ends. We still have a couple hours before graduation; I elect to chill in my room until then. 9:28 PM: En route, I get distracted by a small gathering of other YAFs. We chat, but there’s no chewing this time. 9:53 PM: I disengage and continue to my preordained down time. 10:46 PM: It’s time to get ready for graduation. I rejoin the group, we split into teams, and set up what needs preparation. [RECORD REDACTED FOR SECRECY] 11:33 PM: As a group, we settle on the hill overlooking the graduation pavilion. Their candles form a sea of lights in the dark. Their tributes and remembrances reach my ears, and I’m cast back to my own graduation. Nostalgia begins to bubble. 11:39 PM: They haven’t started wrapping up, so we move closer. Apply pressure slowly. 11:44 PM: Still no sign of ending. We move closer still. The pressure increases. 11:48 PM: One by one, the graduates blow out their candles. They’ve said all they need to say. Silently we rise, collect our charges, and take them away. I can hear sobbing behind us. We do not stop. [RECORD REDACTED TO MAINTAIN MYSTIQUE] 1:16 AM: Ceremony completed, we guide the graduates back to their dorm for one last night with the SAYF community. Our duty has been fulfilled, and it’s time for me to rest.
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