I live in Kentucky. I attend university, I work at a large shopping mall, and I can shop at any of four large grocery store chains within 20 minutes of my luxury student apartment. For other Kentucky residents, they have one option for high school in their county, may have to shop at a Dollar General or small local business, and may have very limited options for work. On top of all that, they may live in a small mobile home or trailer in dire need of repair. One state, two drastically different lives.
Bell County and Jefferson County are on the opposite sides of the same state, but you would not recognize that if you didn’t know it. Jefferson county is marked by skyscrapers and large corporations, massive stadiums and theme parks, and cultural landmarks that draw in thousands of tourists. Bell County is quiet, isolated, and buried in Appalachia. Yet, despite their differences, they are grouped together in one state: they are neighbors.
This year, working in Bell County for ASP, I have an additional weight on my shoulders as I work on this house and in this community. This is a state that I live in. It is easier to see these people as my neighbors. It can be very difficult to define exactly who our neighbors are when we only see a limited number of people each day. However, coming back to the state that I have lived and worked in for about two years now gives me an easier way to identify with my neighbors in Bell County. Not only am I improving the lives of these caring and hospitable families that have welcomed me and many other strangers into their homes for the week, but I am improving the lives of my neighbors within the same state that I live in.
Showing kindness to our neighbors is one of the easiest ways we can share goodness with the world. It is often mentioned that kindness does not have to be a big, elaborate scheme and that any small act of kindness is important. This is true, but it does not mean we should shy away from bigger acts of kindness as well. ASP gives me an opportunity to reach out and try new, scary things while helping my neighbors. Before this week, I didn’t know how to use a circular saw, or what a band joist was. By Tuesday afternoon, I had cut a seemingly endless stream of 2x4 planks and had helped install over twenty feet of band joists. ASP has also given me a chance to make a difference at a point in my life when I have felt that showing kindness can be difficult at times. Even when I spend hours in the sun carrying wood or drilling in screws, I still feel great knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of my neighbors.
It can be hard to connect with our neighbors. We often come from vastly different backgrounds and cultures and making connections through that fog is a daunting task. But kindness is always a way we can help to establish that connection. Since moving to Louisville, I have fallen in love with Kentucky and Jefferson County. Since arriving here on Sunday, I have fallen in love with Bell County just as quickly. The families with which we are working come from a very different life than I do, but they are my neighbors just the same.
Charlie Kovacs
Lord of Life member, ASP volunteer 2022