My Uniquely Rewarding Bon Air Experience

This week I was unable to go to Bon Air because I was suffering from a little bug called the Richmond Plague. I was pretty upset I couldn’t go, but Professor Dolson gave me the idea of writing a letter to my parter in my absence. This seemed like an easy fix, and something I could muster the energy to do. I just wrote some things I remembered we talked about last week, some things about my fall break, and that I was looking forward to next week when I was feeling better and could visit again. It didn’t take me too long, I didn’t have to think too hard, and I didn’t even have to get out of bed to write the letter. I emailed it back to Professor Dolson and she gave it to my partner.

But the email I received back from her that night gave my little gesture huge significance. She told me he was “touched” that I wrote him a letter, and he asked if he could keep it. The boys were all very impressed, she wrote. They asked if I got points for the letter or if it improved my grade. It didn’t. Just knowing that what seemed like an easy letter to write, made my partner so happy, made me even more happy than he was. Reaching people can be done in a number of ways and this week, my partner and I connected through my letter. Now i am the one touched because he wants to keep something I wrote for him. It makes me want to stay in contact with my partner after the program is over. Returning to Ashley’s idea of not trying to change each other’s lives, this letter did not change either of our lives. But it created joy for both of us. Joy in the present moment (from receiving the letter or learning about how received it was) and joy to hold as a memory (from keeping the physical letter or keeping the memory of how happy my letter made my partner). The way we are making a difference at Bon Air is by sharing these little acts of kindness with our partners in hopes of some positive result. I’m glad that the benefits of what we’re doing have already become apparent for me and I know there will only be more to come.