Virginia+Newlun

Virginia Newlun Mrs. Bear Period 6 24 October 2011 Community service The cold October morning of last year, I remember putting on my favorite knit sweater and complaining an awful lot about community service. I wanted to sleep in, cruise around and enjoy the lovely fall day. But I had been making bad decisions and was obliged to put in 24 hours of community service. Why can’t these people rake their own leaves, hire someone else to do it, or have one of there family members help out? How is raking a bunch of lazy people’s leaves going to guide me in the right direction? I simply didn’t understand. But I still rolled out of bed early Saturday morning and went to rake upBoise. As I pulled up to the old brick home on 18th street, I took awhile to digest exactly how much work I had ahead of me. The leaves were everywhere. There was another boy about my age already there.. I really needed to use the bathroom, so I sprinted up the stairs and rung the doorbell. While I was waiting I studied the environment around me. There were cobwebs in the corners of the door and the whole appearance of the outside was broken down and worn. I rang the doorbell…nothing. Then I rang it again. As the ancient ebony door slowly opens, I examine an enfeebled man about 90 years old, with a feeding tube about the same weight as me. He slowly comes to the door on a walker. “Hello dear.” He softly murmurs as I stare into his old sad eyes and slightly smile. “I’m here to rake up your leaves and was wondering if I could use your bathroom, you know, nature calls.” He smiles as his sad eyes crinkle, and opens the door. “Of course you may.” He says, as he allows me to pass by. After I used the restroom, I took my time examining this little old man’s home. There were photos upon photos of the man, with a beautiful woman and it looked to be his wife. Black and white wedding pictures placed in silver frames were scattered on his cerulean walls. I went through the hallway and sort of peaked into an office where I noticed sympathy cards and white roses, and that’s when I saw a creation urn plopped upon his desk. This was the day where my life had inevitably changed. I thought over the questions I had asked earlier this day. Why couldn’t they rake their own leaves? He was suffering emotionally and physically because of sickness, age and losing the one he loved. Why couldn’t he hire someone to do it? He couldn’t afford it, for he was spending so much already on the funeral for his bride. Why couldn’t he have a family member do it? He just lost his wife, the only family member he had left. After I finished cleaning up this man’s place to the best of my ability, I felt a sense of worth. That beautiful fall day I thought I would have dreaded became the day where my life had changed, in a way where I truly believed that I need to get to the bottom of things before jumping to conclusions.