We Like to Party

I cannot tell you that our trip was full of hard work all the time. On the contrary, I often felt that we were on vacation rather than being on a service trip. At night we had the privilege of being acclimated to some of the more the stereotypical Appalachian past times: square dancing and blue grass music. We learned how to square dance with a group of elderly Appalachian men and women who met every week. They were full of spirit and showed their excitement to have us there. The blue grass music we listened to was also played by a group of middle aged and elderly men and women who met every week. Although our group had an amazing time, we noticed a trend in the age of the participants in these particular past times: a trend that we later discussed with Robert. It turns out that these past times are exactly that, past times. Your average Appalachian teenager most likely does not square dance or even like blue grass music. In all respects, the average Appalachian teenager in Buchanan County did not sound much different than a teenager you would find anywhere else. Granted, hunting is much more prevalent in Appalachia than most places, but teenagers have fun doing some of the same things that kids from the city do and some things that I wish I could do personally. Teenagers’ activities consist of seeing movies, hunting and camping, riding ATV’s and dirt bikes, and having parties in the woods. Robert told us stories about how he and his friends would entertain themselves that pretty much always involved some degree of illegal mischief, a property I viewed as reflective of my own teenage years. After his accident, Robert was obviously limited in the amount of these activities that he could participate. However, he made the best out of his situation. Robert with the help of his mother’s boyfriend Frank continued to hunt. Robert did not hold a grudge as if he was mad at the world for his accident. Rather he embraced the enjoyment he could still find in activities like hunting and playing on his computer. Robert had a holster contraption fastened onto his motorized wheelchair so that he could go out everyday and go hunting. He loved to hunt and fish, and these activities were what kept him going everyday. He was persistent in asking us if we partied much at Notre Dame. He seemed particularly interested in this subject then exclaimed, “Yeah, I like to party.” Robert served as an inspiration. He refused to let his injury prevent him from living his life. I’m sure there were times when even Robert faltered, and there are times when anyone can forget to be grateful to be alive. It is our response to the challenges of life that defines our character. In the spirit of Robert’s inclination to party, when life hands you sour limes… make margaritas.