Surprising just how fast a month can go! In my earlier post, I had just finished working with a veterans event in which I got to see amazing people beating all kinds of adversity. In talking with everyone, they all seemed so happy to be pushing themselves to such a high bar and it felt really cool to see them as I was handing out water and sandwiches to people who wanted any.

Life did not slow down, as on the week of the 5th, the American Red Cross opened up a shelter in Merrillville to help with a condemned apartment building. It was open for a few days and not a lot of people used it, but the important thing is that the Red Cross was there ready to help people if they needed it.

The next week was less hectic: doing some admin work and planning to teach about fire safety were the name of the game. A lot easier of a time, but also some cooldown to process everything that was going on.

Mental clarity is something that people have been talking about for the past few years in greater detail. Making sure someone is able to be kind, caring, and compassionate, are all imperative traits that anyone working in the Red Cross should have if they have a client facing role. Doing bigger events can drain you both physically and emotionally, and when you can feel times that you need to rest, knowing where your emotional bandwidth is also important.

This break was perfect, because at the end of that week, there was an apartment complex that burned down in Elkhart and I want to help for the next few days doing both client facing work and learning about all the steps and plans that occur for funds and resources to move across the region. A lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes that people don’t think about unless it’s their job.

Overall, one of the best things I took out of this month’s experience is that learning and growth comes from two places: planned and spontaneous. Planned learning comes from things like going to class, studying, and taking a test. Spontaneous learning is something that you might now be ready to practice yet, but going out in the field and doing your best is something that always needs to happen. Applying those skills and seeing how they might not work as easily as you thought is always something that is a great experience to learn.

– Adam Monnette, American Red Cross