This weird nostalgia started on this very day, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, last year
Hicksville is kind of an odd town. It's pretty big so people don't know each other and there are no town issues or meetings. Not really a big sense of community. But they still have a few standing tradition, one of which, in my mind, stands out amongst all others.
Every year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, firefighters get on their firetrucks with one guy dressed as Santa, and they ride through the streets with their sirens blaring, and they throw popcorn balls to all of the people who come and stand out on their lawns.
It's kind of silly really, and not all that thrilling when you think about it. I don't remember being very excited about it when I was a kid. But last year I was overjoyed. In years past I had already been back in Syracuse by Sunday afternoon, so I had missed the tradition for a while. Plus I was approaching the end of my college career and worrying about what I was going to do after graduation. I think I was just so desperate to grasp on to some sense of stability and protection, and this little piece of my childhood was exactly that.
I was out there dancing on the lawn, cheering, and waving...basically making a fool out of myself to guys I probably went to high school with. But I didn't care. At that moment I was in bliss.
A year has gone by, and in that time I've graduated, interviewed, worked, and become an AmeriCorps. And now I'm kind of feeling like I was this time last year: terrified because I have no idea what's next. Grad school is hard to apply for when you aren't 100% sure about your direction. The job market is "eh" at best. There is so much I want to do and I don't know how to go about it.
But things like Popcorn Ball Sunday remind me that it's okay. It's all going to work out. It's the little things like that one day a year when Santa hurls a sweet treat at year that really matter.
Hi - interesting post. I think a lot of people feel a similar way right now. I recently turned 24, my girlfriend 23 and we are both figuring things out. She is an AmeriCorps member and I coincidentally am an intern at an organization that relies heavily on AmeriCorps members. I think the fact that you are worried about what you are going to do shows that you're heading in a good direction. I'm sure you're gaining valuable experience that would look good at any job, and there are most likely more than a handful of non-profits that could use you. Just put yourself out there and hang onto that mindset that things will work out - in the long run. You might be working at a coffeeshop next year (my primary job right now) but in time, things will pick up and you'll find yourself where you want to be. Try not to worry too much. By the way, I like bringing back out-dated slang too. Currently trying to reintroduce "Unnnnnn!" - so far it's not catching on.
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