Today, our elderly visit had a turbulent beginning. In order to coordinate our group travel, the zip car had to navigate around the mob of UAW protesters while the front seat passenger looked for our fellow members.
Despite some initial adversity, our service group managed to get to The Plaza Westwood home at a punctual 2:30 pm on the dot. We were fortunate enough to have had the visit we had today, it was simply a gift.
Upon entering, the four of us managed to help with the setup of the special tea time, while simultaneously engaging in storytelling with the various meeting early comers. Several of us bonded while telling funny bingo stories just before the main act— the presentation of strange and important marine life. As we showed them the bewildering and horrifying gifs of these sea creatures, their curiosity and awe shined bright. I heard a melange of sounds expressing wonder at what was being displayed. To conclude our presentation, the whole room had a moving discussion about the role of climate change and how it impacts us. I remember these moments fondly. Today, the illusion of the presenter and audience was dissolved completely by our meaningful interaction. I truly felt that all 20 of us in the room were part of a mission to attend thoroughly to one another while discovering some semblance of truth in our world around us. Everyone and I mean everyone, was fully engaged, attentive, and present. I sincerely hope the habitual feeling of loneliness was sure to have disappeared for those minutes.
Crystal Yu, Ethan Tai, Porter Stein, Trisha Hoang on 11/16/2022
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