Bon Air – The Importance of Listening

Ok y’all, I’ll be honest — I was nervous going into Bon Air for the first time.

But not because we were going to a juvenile detention center, but because I was going to have to socialize with a stranger and hope we could make conversation for 5 weeks. But good news: we got along great and my partner was enthusiastic about asking questions and telling stories.

My partner kept stressing that it wasn’t the greatest being “locked up.” They lived by routine. But, he was so willing to talk. One question and he would tell five stories. I think we was waiting for me to interrupt but I thought about the podcast we heard– Listening as an Act of Love. My partner probably didn’t have many people to tell his problem to, his hopes for when he got out. I did the best that I could to be that person, to listen to his story. And in return, he was all to ready to hear about my tales as a college student. Albeit, he wasn’t as excited when he found out that I don’t party and prefer to study. Still, this experience was unforgettable and it gave me the excitement to continue this project for four more weeks.