Hang Up, For God's Sakes!

It’s ok to hang up the phone. Really, I'm giving you permission.

This week I’ve been at a conference, learning how to be a b etter fundraiser. One of the buzz words (or terms) right now in fundraising, as in every other field, is social media. We are connected than ever before the hoards of family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and even people from grade school that we haven’t seen or heard from in decades. If we’re fans we can learn what grinds Seth McFarland’s grears from his twitter account, or know that Lebron James had a rough practice from a facebook update.

But the question arises, where is the line? When does social media, i-phone apps, and the facebook-inter-google-tweet-net get the better of us?

Today I observed that line. And it was abused.

Between sessions I stepped into the men’s room to…well…you know… Anyway, so I enter the restroom which seems to be empty and find a nice corner urinal. All of a sudden, a man in a stall starts talking very loudly about travel plans to visit a client in Florida.

I observe very strict man-law while in the restroom…this is the only are of my life where I’m a fundamentalist through and through…so needless to say, I was a uncomfortable. In the time it took me to finish my business—the man in stall #2 finished his phone call and then…are you ready for this… started typing . The clicking of a keyboard is pretty unmistakable and I don’t care if it’s a laptop or a blackberry…that’s not the place to be sending e-mail. As I washed my hands the man apparently finished because he flushed and came out of the stall with a laptop bag slung over his shoulder and a Bluetooth headset in his ear.

What is wrong with people? If you are too busy to use the facilities without being connected…then you might have a problem. No one is so important that they can’t wait a minute for you to finish.

Just saying.

Up on the roof...

Last Saturday Katie and I joined members of the Men of Bennett (MOB) in a good old fashioned Amish-style roofing party. Yep, the MOB exercised our ability to not only destroy, but also to create as we helped the Millers re-roof their house.

The day started a bit shaky with an early morning shower and some concern for working on a wet roof.

But things dried up and we got to work stripping the old roof down the decking and replacing damaged boards with new. Then it was back to work tar-papering and shingling.

While it was hard work, we did have a lot of fun. Richard even got in a little afternoon yoga, as seen here executing what I’m told is called “Downward Facing Dog.” Smith just calls it “Indy Style.” But the work went quickly and we had some great food thanks to Steph and her dad, Steve. Jason’s dad, Don, was our fearless leader and provided much needed direction and advice throughout the whole process.

Beyond the sense of accomplishment one feels after a project starts to take shape, this weekend left me feeling a great sense of wholeness. I was reminded that neighbors, friends, and community are not just words used to identify people—they are concepts with real world incarnations.

We are often inundated by social scientists and political pundits that would have us believe that the world is spinning out of control and that no one looks out for each other any more. I disagree, and this weekend proved that communities can exist in more tangible ways than facebook groups and fantasy football leagues. I am energized by this and look forward to our next major project.

I was tired, Kirk was confused, Nate was thirsty, and only Katie new what to do.

AmeriCorps*NCCC: A Higher Education

Written and Delivered by Nicholas T. Schafer
NCCC North Central Region Graduation Vinton, IA
August 4, 2010


Thank you for inviting me to join you for this mornings exercises. And I’m very grateful that they didn’t include 5:30 a.m. PT.

The two years I spent in NCCC are never far from my mind. Team pictures hang on the wall in my home and office. I talk to my old teammates regularly, and occasionally send the random text to my TL asking her to take me to the doctor just for old times sake. [Pause]

My original plan was to tell you some of the great stories that came out of my service years. I wanted to tell inspiring stories about working with children who were labeled “special needs” only to find out that they had a better outlook on life that we could imagine. I would tell you about Habitat dedications where grown men wept as we handed their family the keys to their first new home. But then it dawned on me that you might not know my team or the communities that we served, but you do know my stories. Because they are our stories. And for me, that is the most inspiring thing of all.Even though we have served several years and many miles apart…by virtue of serving in this program we all know the excitement of leaving for a new spike, and the relief of returning to base for transition. We’ve successfully experienced shopping on a budget (thank you Dot White), and feeding a small army after a long day on a Habitat build. We’ve experienced the Forming-Norming-Storming-Performing-Storming-Performing-Storming cycle with our constantly evolving teams. We’ve been strengthened by the communities we served and met each other on common ground.

Our stories are unique, but we are bound together by the fabric of our shared experiences.

A few years ago I met Amity Tripp (National Director of AmeriCorps Alums) at a conference. I was there in the capacity of Program Director for an AmeriCorps*Indiana Environmental program – and we started talking about recruitment. Now I have to tell you, I get a little fired up when I start talking about AmeriCorps – and this meeting was no exception. After I had rattled on for a few minutes Amity politely interrupted and said, “May I ask, were you in NCCC?” “Yeah,” I answered, hoping that she too was an NCCC alum. “I though so,” she said. “What makes you think that,” I asked. “Well,” she said, “You all are a little crazy.”

Few times in my life have I been more proud.

The passion that NCCC inspires is not necessarily exclusive to our program, but as a group we tend to take it to the next level. I believe this so much that I’ve written a number of letter over the years to various state and federal Senators and Representatives. In 2007, I wrote, that

“NCCC teams are trained and ready to deploy quickly when disaster strikes. The tragedy of the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11 , Hurricane Katrina, and numerous smaller natural and un-natural disasters have seen the benefit of NCCC recovery efforts and have proven the readiness and value of NCCC Members. NCCC fills a unique niche for which other service programs (AmeriCorps or otherwise) simply cannot pick up the slack. NCCC represents the very best of AmeriCorps.”

I believe that it is this passion that fuels our commitment to service while actively engaged in NCCC. And it is that passion that drives us to serve in the years that follow.

NCCC is not an easy program. I will not make the mistake of assuming that everyone had the uplifting experience that I did. While I hope many of you did, and will miss your teams and the service you performed. I know that after 10 months of no privacy, 1 van, and 10 personalities, some of you might be ready to be away from your team. Others might be excited to never have to wear kahki and grey again. And still others might be looking forward to driving a vehicle where you don’t need a spotter to change lanes. (or back up without a ground guide).

I can say with reasonable certainty, however, that no matter how you feel right now your time in NCCC has been formative. Whether in lessons learned, friendships formed, or injustices realized…there is no going back. If it hasn’t already, your experiences from this year will change how you look at the world.

I often tell people that NCCC ruined me for business. Before NCCC my life had a plan. Finish my undergraduate degree, go to law school, marry a beautiful woman, take the legal world by storm, make a ton of money, attain enlightenment, write a best seller about attaining said enlightenment, and retire happily at 45. So that might be a bit of a stretch, but not by far.

After NCCC, my life and career had to mean something more than just making money. I’ve been in the public sector ever since I left Charleston, and I can’t think of any place I’d rather be. I may not have a pile of money, but I get by. A few years ago I met and last year married a beautiful girl – who also happens to be an AmeriCorps Alum. I’m lucky. Every day I work to make sure young people can afford to go to College, and I continue to fight substandard housing as the advisor of the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. I came to NCCC with a plan, and left with a purpose. I’ve found my way to continue to serve. That was my choice.

And so you now have a choice. This year can be just another page in the scrapbook, or it can be the year where you found yourself…and became involved for life.

You have experience, energy, and passion take that with you. Run with it. Whatever you do next, bring your NCCC confidence, compassion, and commitment. Live out the pledge each and every day. Fight apathy, build communities, and seek common ground. As the poet says, “be like the fountain that overflows, not like the cistern that merely contains.”

Because the reality is that, NCCC has only partially been about the past 10 months. NCCC is really about today. It’s about, “carrying this commitment with you this year and beyond.” No matter what your current education level—THIS has been your higher education. You’ve faced both success and disappointment as you’ve engaged in the challenging work of serving communities. You’ve learned from many teachers this year. Some are with me on stage, some in the staff section, some wearing green shirts right in your row, and many in the communities you leave behind. You’ve completed projects, and composed reflections. Now the rest of your life is the final exam.

In just a little while you all will join me and so many others in the ranks of the NCCC alumni. There have been some who’ve been in your shoes who mistakenly call life after AmeriCorps the “real world.” I am here to assure you that the world you’ve come to know over the past 10 months is in fact, a more real version of the world than many will ever see. And no matter what you do next, or how far you travel, your NCCC filter will go with you, allowing you to see the real world.

I know that it is unrealistic to think that everyone here will continue to work for non-profits. In fact many of you might have joined originally to beef up your resume. I can vouche that NCCC will look great on a resume, especially in a job market driven by blending education with experience. Team work, organization, discipline, these are qualities that will serve you well in college, graduate school, and both the public and private sector of the workforce. You’re time with AmeriCorps has prepared you well for what lies beyond.

But looking beyond your career, NCCC, has also been great preparation for the parts of life that you can’t put on a resume. You’ve learned new ways to live life as an active and involved citizen of the United States of America. This year, you’ve earned a degree in stepping up and getting things done. You’ve done this, so that next year when your residence hall wants to organize a service project; or your church wants to coordinate a food pantry; or your local Rotary club plans a trip to help rebuild after a hurricane – you will be perfectly suited for the task.

It doesn’t have to complicated or earth shattering, but your service whether public or private, matters. Whether enacting large scale change for the public good, or helping a neighbor, your service matters. During the Great Depression my wife’s grandmother worked hard to make sure that her family did not go hungry. Her sights were not so narrow, however, to abandon concern for her neighbors’ who were teetering on the brink of starvation. Grandma made conscious effort invite the neighbors for dinner or send over what she claimed were “extras” so that they would not starve. Her actions were not newsworthy, but they were noteworthy, and they had a tremendous impact on at least five lives.

How amazing would life be if we looked out for each other just one tiny little bit? AmeriCorps offers us a glimpse of what a world like that could look like. And that is the true NCCC legacy. Yes, we have left our mark, and have gotten things done for 16 years. But each time an alum continues to serve we broaden the umbrella of NCCC’s influence and impact.

When you go home and you tell people about what you did this year. Don’t expect them to get it. Oh, tell your stories, because they need to be shared. And many will tell you things like, “that’s great,” or “you’re really a good person.” But deep down, many people you tell about this experience just won’t get. Some of you might not even grasp the full magnitude of what you have just begun. But some of you do…and more of you will as you move on. You have begun a lifetime of service. You have begun to change the world. And tomorrow it’s up to you to carry on that commitment.

Thank you for your service this year, and thank you for all the good that I know you will do in the years to come.

Good luck. Safe travels.

Approximate time: 11 min. 25 sec.

Everything I learned in life I learned from watching Star Wars….

“This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless” Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

It’s hard to say what is so intriguing and at the same time scary about the future. Yet, we often times are captivated by the possibilities, good or bad. Considering the time that is not now, but has not yet happened is often an activity which is significantly impacted by our current state of mind.

The future can be full of possibility if we are happy, excited, encouraged about the present, or if we are so disgusted by the present that we cling to the hope of a better tomorrow.

The future can be full of anxiety and fear if we allow ourselves to be consumed by the unknown threats that lurk in the shadows of tomorrow. Unseen expenses, medical problems, war, taxes, death, the end of the world, etc. – can and do plague our notions of the future from time to time.

But another wizened figure from my childhood echoed Yoda’s warning to look in a much more direct and practical way. When one of my siblings, cousins, or I would get worked up about something and really worry, my sainted Irish Grandma used to tell us, “don’t borrow trouble.” Simple as that.

- Don’t worry about failing your math test—just study hard, get a good nights sleep, and do your best, or

- Don’t worry about if the girl you like will marry you – ask her out and see how it goes from there, or

- Don’t worry about … well you get the point.

Grandma and Yoda would both agree that preparing for the future is a great idea. Save your money, do your Jedi exercise, eat right, study hard…but don’t let projections of a future that is uncertain dominate your entire world view. If you do that, you’ll miss the life that you’re so worried will be harmed by that big bad nasty old future threat.

I guess when it’s all said and done it really comes down to another marker on the path to finding balance. And we must remember that life and the quest for balance are a path—which must be traveled. In life we must remain vigilant for like the servants who do not know when the master will return…neither do we know when a significant opportunity in life or a realization of balance will occur.

De Mello has a teaches this very idea in the following parable:

“Is there anything I can do to make myself Enlightened?” asked the disciple.

“As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning,” answered the master.

“Then of what use are the spiritual exercises you prescribe?”

“To make sure you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise.”

– Anthony de Mello, S.J.

Similarly, de Mello speaks of remaining present in the moment. He writes:

“Where shall I look for Enlightenment?” the disciple asked.

“Here,” answered the master.

“When will it happen?”

“It is happening right now.”

“Then why don't I experience it?”

“Because you do not look.”

“What should I look for?”

“Nothing. Just look.”

“At what?”

“Anything your eyes alight upon.”

“Must I look in a special kind of way?”

“No. The ordinary way will do.”

“But don’t I always look the ordinary way?”

“No.”

“Why ever not?”

“Because to look you must be here. You’re mostly somewhere else.”

– Anthony de Mello, S.J.

Safe travels.

The 8 Ball

Last month, I took up semi-permanent residence behind the 8-ball. May and June are jam packed months in both the world of academics (with the end of the semester and graduation) and for fundraisers (as the end of the fiscal year approaches for many on June 30th). Since I am part of both worlds the reality that these months are chaos incarnate is inescapable.

Yet, in the midst of all 100 deadlines falling on the same day and being pulled in a million directions – I volunteered to help a couple of friends out with things they had going on in their lives – which ended up putting me even more behind schedule. When my ability to keep up was called to question it was pointed out that I might be doing too much.

There is one friend of mine who is famous for asking me if I’m doing too much. Over the years she has been a valuable resources and a guide along my professional path. Lately, many of our career – based discussions end with some reference to my taking on too much.

So here I am, aware of my busy schedule and seeking balance.

The irony here is that I often encourage hyper-involved college students to not be afraid to step back. Yet when it comes down to it I’m only marginally better at saying “no” than I was as a hyper-involved college students no so many years ago. But I know myself well enough to realize that there are reasons for this constant immersion.

= I believe that people don’t help each other enough anymore.
=Nurture – anyone who’s grown up with a big family knows that no matter your place in the rank and file you are expected to pitch in and help. When things need to be done it doesn’t matter whose project it is everyone settles in and lends a hand.
=Nature – Whether it is inspired by the reasons above or not, I come from a long line of servant leaders. Both of my parents are active in our lives, the lives of our extended family, our church community, etc. My grandparents were the same way and on and on. Helping people out is part of who we are.

I’m predisposed to help people out. I make absolutely no apologies for that habit, and am fiercely proud that service is such a part of the fabric of my family and upbringing. That said, like with all things there must be balance.

Is it really ‘service’ if helping people is fueled by guilt or compulsion?

No, probably not.

Is service pure and valuable if it is fueled by pride and ego?

I don’t think so.

In the final analysis it comes back to balance.

To be generous is good…to put your family in the poorhouse to help others is irresponsible.

To be a servant is good…to allow yourself to be exploited and abused is often times ill-advised.

To be other focused is good…to use that focus to avoid your own problems is unhealthy.

I guess it boils down to a notion that it’s not enough to simply think or say or do. There must be balance between action, motivation, impact, and meaning.

Walking Retreat - Day 3

Part III: Perspective
Tuesday May 18, 2010

Today I set out on the trip home. Last night I had a dream about work and woke with concerns over the upcoming events, and other quickly approaching deadlines. The progress made over the past few days seemed to evaporate as quickly as the water in this arid countryside. After collecting myself a bit, I realize that my jarring back to reality was inevitable. I also reminded myself that no matter how consuming work can be at times that we are all more than our jobs and titles. Human beings are dynamic and are governed as much by feelings as ideas and thoughts. No matter how logical we’d like to claim to be at our root we are driven by feelings.

I had a couple of hours to wait in the international terminal of the airport before my flight. So I used that time to watch people and think about my trip. As I walked around the terminal the complexity of life struck me like a mack truck. I saw families with children, an old man pushing his wife in a wheelchair, and people conversing in half a dozen languages.

There was no way to tell who these people were just from casual 3rd party observation. You could tell, however, that there were deep relationships, vibrant passions, differing opinions, and many more emotions present in the terminal. If I was still obsessing about the pile of work that was waiting for me I would have missed this reminder about the complexity and beauty of life and relationships.

I guess there really is something to living in the moment.

Walking Retreat - Day 2

The power of silence
Monday May 17, 2010

Since we’ve been traveling we’re pretty cut off from work and life at home – no phones, limited e-mail access, too far away to fix any problems at work, etc. The result is that we have plenty of time to just be ourselves and recharge. On this trip I took the opportunity to simply enjoy the silence and focus on being present in the moment.

Too often it seems that I spend so much time worrying about insignificant details that I miss the greater beauty of the experience. I’ve spent entire trips fretting over “camera” or “journaling” issues concerned with remembering/recollecting/or sharing the trip that I’ve missed out on experiencing the trip in the first place.

This time around I didn’t take one picture. I did write a bit, but at my leisure, not at the expense of being present in the moment. I spent more time that I can currently recollect just sitting on the patio with a glass of water or bottle of beer. No book, no conversation, not particularly watching anything, not particularly thinking about anything, just enjoying the day.

At one point Greg asked me if I was ok (presumably because I was so quiet).

Yes, it's the quite that I've been seeking.

The challenge will be returning to the noise.