swinging

through
static

student finds solace on division street swing set.

eva rosenfeld

Its just weird being me sometimes, Anderson said.

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t he c o m m uni c a t o r

he photographer walking down

Division Street felt compelled
to stop when he saw the boy
on the swings. Silver poles dug
firmly into the spring lawn. Well-worn
white Skullcandy headphones scrunched
down afroed hair.
He just saw me on the swings listening to music and said, Its beautiful, and
snapped some pictures, said Dylan Anderson, CHS junior.
The interaction, although initiated by
the photographer, was worthwhile to
both parties. The man got his photos,
Anderson got affirmation. Here was another person, extracting something of
value out of the many hours Anderson
had spent on those swings.
Oh my god, Im cool, he thought.
Im worth taking pictures of.
Since freshman year, Anderson has
found sanctuary on the swing set on the
front lawn of Community. He arrives

to school early and swings while the

doors are still locked, then intermittently throughout the day.
My brain works in such a way that
I need a repetitive action to focus on,
and a ritualistic place to go to, Anderson said. Kind of like monks climbing
a mountain to ring a bell just to climb
back down to do it tomorrow. I just need
patterns like that to function normally.
Andersons days are filled with such
rituals. They range from small acts, like
pacing and foot-tapping, to larger daily
customs. Everyday when he gets home,
no matter the weather, Anderson asks
his mother for two dollars, walks a mile
to the gas station, buys a Coca-Cola, and
walks a mile back.
Each ritual on its own might seem trivial, but in conjunction, Andersons array
of actions is a step toward finding focus
and purpose. Swinging provides a time
to think about his life and aspirations of

becoming an illustrator. The daily Coca-Cola pilgrimage gives him the energy
to draw, and make progress as an artist.
Ive been working really hard to be
super serious about [drawing], he said.
Ill be content to just sit in a room and
stare at a wall forever but Im like, well I
should probably do something with my
life. I wanna do meaningful things before I die, but I have no work ethic.
On his first day at Community, Anderson rejoiced over the presence of swings
on the lawn. A swing set had been an
outlet in elementary school, too, and he
was excited to have access to one again
-- a place to sort through the static.
In fact, after three years at his frontlawn haven, Anderson feels a little shock
each time he sees someone else there.
Woah, what? This can happen? he
joked. Then more seriously, he added,
It almost feels like its own little void.

f eb ru ary

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