Soho

Soho....the name brings to mind all things unholy and impure in London. Tucked in between Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown and Oxford Street, Soho is the center of the sex and gay scene in the city (as well as having some really good clubs apparently). Along with its offerings comes its clientele, earning the area a reputation of being a rough spot sometimes.

I did streetwork down there tonight but was probably out a little too early as the place was still hoping as me and my streetwork partner for the evening, Sophie, parted ways at 2:00. We met a few folks but most of them were probably in hostels and just out begging.

Why does it seem like people with mental health problems or addictions always have some sort of spirituality intertwined with their life? Me and Soph were talking with this fella tonight who was super- pissed (that is drunk for all you non-british speakers) and as we were leaving the conversation he began to talk of the coincidence that we are with the Simon Community and he has an angel named Simon that looks after him. Or something like that. I don't know.

This past week I was up in Wales again at the wife of the Community's founder's house. (Hmmm....those double possessives are always tough to write grammatically correct) It was nice to get outside of the city and have a couple of days to hang out with all the workers in the Community. That is the first time since I have been here that we have all had the chance to hang out without worrying about community issues. Yeah, it was good.

One of the big discussions (yelling matches, whatever you want to call them) that have been happening in the house lately has been about the issue of "hospitality". I say that this has been happening lately but really it has been an ongoing conversation (yelling match, whatever you want to call it) since I have been here. The dreaded h-word has always been a distinctive part of what the community is about. A natural growth from the founder's Christian roots, hospitality was intended to be offered as an outpouring of Christ's love. The problem comes with where you draw the line. Some people in the house hold their space very closely and, while they are caring enough on the outside, may not be willing to have the sort of open door policy that I envision as being true at the Community's inception. I am not advocating a sort of unthoughtful, sloppy, anything-goes policy which would slowly turn the house into a hotspot for local dealers, but rather operating a home that always has a few more spots at the dinner table and is willing to give everyone a chance, or two, or three.

I know that there are plenty of problems that come along with this, whether that be the vulnerability of some individuals in the household, or the fact that there are not always workers in the house, but those can be overcome. The big issue is getting people to not think of the house or things as theirs, but as the Community's. Much easier to write than actually to live though because I know that I can be found guilty of thinking that way too.

Much to chew on, especially in thinking about how I would use my personal home and how tightly I hold on to my possessions.

Much to chew on, yes, but tonight I am too tired to be hungry.

Nite.

Is that a chip on your shoulder?....No, just an artisan faccassio loaf

Hello all.

I just came back in from hauling a trashcan bag full of bread around Stoke Newington.

Recently we got this really great connection with an organic, granola-y, expensive goat's cheese place up in Stoke Newington which is about a 15 minute walk away from the house. We had been doing pick up's on weekends but I went up tonight and they gave me a sack o' grainy goodness. Now, if we can only find a place that donates sushi:)

Either life has been hovering around normality lately or I have begun to change. I think probably a little bit of both. I'll tell you, one thing this job has taught me is how to stand my ground while trying to appease people. This is really not always the best thing, but Robert reckons that I have a career in diplomacy. I think that I shall be the next American diplomat to um....somewhere in the Caribbean or South Pacific, it has been bloody cold here and I can't wait for the gentle nudge of Spring to dethrone the all-too-long reign of Winter.

I have never considered myself a people pleaser but I am learning a lot about how I operate and I struggle with wether I am a people pleaser or a peacemaker....and where the line is. Much to unpack and I know that writing is one way that I do that so I really should more often.

As always, I really don't have much of substance to say. Actually, the more accurate thing to say would probably be that I don't feel like expending the energy that it would take to tell stories without breaking anyone's confidentiality.

Outside of work, I am heading up to Wales again at the end of this month with the worker group from the community and then (hopefully, hopefully!) to Paris and Rome with my bro and a buddy respectivly. It should be a really nice time in Wales because we will be heading again to the founder's wife's house to just chill but also to be together as a group of workers and think more about what it means to be a community and get further insight into how the community has historically operated.

Thought of the day:
When shaving a girls head to form a mohawk please remember to be gentle with the clippers so as to not stab her and cause scalpal bleeding.

Bringing bread to all the good little boys and girls in East London, Chris