Let's define Awareness: Awareness is knowledge or perception of a situation or fact. It can also be consciousness, recognition, realization or perception. Awareness is also having a concern about & being well-informed. Now I think what happened this particular day is something that can happen to n-e-one when they get in the zone.
There is this community organization here in LA that helps people, suffering from substance abuse issues. They also help people seeking employment, people seeking housing & other things that are needed to survive in these streets. I'm not going to say the name of the organization but I became a volunteer there. This was my first day and that being the case I feel like I should've been a little more aware. It didn't have any effect on my personal performance that I wasn't, it just made me feel like from then on I would be.
That day, I came in went to group then handled my business. I got on the computer & started typing my memoir. Apparently I went into the zone & didn't even know it. When you go in the zone it can feel as if everything around you is not there. It can feel like you're on a plane & it's only you just cruising into the clouds of whatever you're doing in that moment. It's like being on auto pilot in your own mind while completing a task. As I'm typing my memoir moving right along I finally snap into what's going on & hear this conversation;
"Yeah he OD'ed they just hit him twice with the Narcan."
"Who, dude that was just in the hallway?"
"Yeah, he's still in the hallway."
I jump in the conversation like;
"is he alive?"
"Yeah they got em back, he's laying in the hallway."
I'm thinking to myself damn how I miss all of that. Not two seconds later did another volunteer say that they had to go let the Fire Department in. I'm thinking to myself the fire department? shouldn't it be the paramedics? I let the thought go & went back to typing, the Fire Department sends two guys in & they run toward the elevator. I'm sitting there thinking should't I tell them the hall way was the other direction? Nope, I just minded my business. About 5 minutes later they are leaving & there is a man sitting at the computer next to me that wasn't there a minute ago. He said; "OMG I was stuck on that elevator for like a half an hour!" I squint my eyes like, you were stuck in the elevator! He's like yeah I can't believe it took them so long to get me out. I'm thinking how the hell did I miss that, then my thoughts jumped back to the man in the hallway. Damn what about him, I think he like died for like 2 mins. Low & behold that guys showed up right on the other side of me at another desk.
He was crying & snoting screaming thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus. People were asking him if he wanted something to drink or if he wanted to sit down. Meanwhile I'm wondering why he didn't go to the hospital. I mean he technically died, I didn't ask so I'll never know. What I do know is I felt completely at home in this place & that I also have to be more aware especially being a volunteer!
- -Photo by Jodie Spartz
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