Why I Gave Up My Bed Last Night
"Do Now Mourn Cinq x Sept” By Sister Armelle
Why I Gave Up My Bed Last Night
By Ali Keller
As this reflection is published, I will be waking up on the ground outside of the Javit Center after a very rough night of sleep. But I will also be waking up in one of the best moods I have all year. On Friday, March 13th I’m giving up my bed for the night to sleep outside in solidarity with youth facing homelessness. It’s a fundraiser organized by Covenant House, an incredible organization that’s working to eradicate youth homelessness in NY, nationwide, and around the world. This year, I’m participating in the Covenant House Challenge – which is a promise to fundraise $3000 for the organization, sleeping outside, and then running the NYC United Half Marathon.
I’m exhausted the day after sleep outs but, I also wake up extremely grateful for the things I take for granted on a daily basis. Every day I wake up and I can take a hot shower and eat the food I prepared. Every night I have a safe place to sleep on a comfortable mattress. I can adjust the heat or air-conditioning in my apartment when I’m too cold or hot. I don’t think about these most of the time, they’re just there for me. But the minute I sleep outside on the hard ground (in a safe, controlled event we can prepare for ahead of time) I remember that the comforts I’m so used to are not there for everyone. This event is in no way replicative of the experience young people facing homelessness go through but it’s a forceful realization that so many people face impossible circumstances and need the things I assume will be there for me every day and don’t take the time to be grateful for.
And while I gave up baked goods for Lent this year too, doing that alongside the Covenant House fundraiser has highlighted the different kinds of sacrifice that can be made during the Lenten season. Giving up baked goods is a challenge because I like to eat them and this has given me time to reflect on what it feels like to do something I don’t want to for 40 days. But giving up a large portion of my free time (and writing time) to train for the run, giving up my bed for the night during the sleep out, and giving up my comfort when asking people to donate (because I always feel awkward even when it’s for a great cause) has taught me that not all sacrifice is hard. Not all sacrifices are things I don’t want to do. Some sacrifices are uncomfortable but easy to make because they’re in service of the greater good. When my legs are tired, or I can’t sleep, or I’m following up with a friend for the third time about a donation, it’s not comfortable but it’s very easy to stay motivated because I know what I’m doing is helping make the world a better place. I’m helping people get shelter, food, medical treatment, job training – a better life.
Hearing “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” on Ash Wednesday reminds me that we have a limited time here, so we should enjoy this life as much as we can but also make sure we’re trying to leave the world better than how we found it.
My fundraiser will still be live for another 24 hours. You can donate here. Or learn more about Covenant House, how to donate, or how to get involved here.
Ali Keller is a writer based in NYC. You can find out more about her at www.alikellerplaywright.com.
Sister Armelle is a hermit iconographer in the Bronx.