The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. ~ Gandhi
Volunteering has been the best action I’ve taken (for myself) in the last couple of years. When I lived in Washington, I was the volunteer photographer for a small, successful dog rescue team for 2 years. I learned a lot about my craft, about dogs, and about people. I’m not sure another opportunity will come along quite like that one but I will be forever grateful I was asked to do it.
Since we moved to Arizona, I have been a volunteer driver for a local non-profit called Helping Hands. Our main service is driving participants to doctor appointments, grocery shopping, and to the hair salon. The singleness of purpose makes it a well-oiled machine that is being used by elderly people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get to those places. I enjoy being a driver and have learned a few things in my short time of volunteering with Helping Hands.
RENEWED RESPECT
I have had to learn to ask each person I’m driving if they need my help getting in and out of my car, putting on the seatbelt, etc. In the past, I tended to be too helpful (yes, there is such a thing as being too helpful) but this gig has me taking a step back and allowing people to keep their dignity. One very nice elderly gentleman quipped that he had “been doing this a very long time” when I suggested he be careful stepping from the curb to get into my car. It was not lost on me and I won’t make that mistake again.
REMEMBER TO ENJOY THE MOMENT
There have been some really interesting people in my car since I started driving for the double Hs. I’ve driven a WWII veteran, truck driver, legal assistant, court clerk, bartender, and a couple of housewives. Upon sitting in my car, we’ve hit it off within the first mile of the transport. You see, these folks don’t drive anymore and one lady never drove, so when her husband died she was left without a way to get around. Think about that for a minute. If you didn’t drive any longer, and you don’t have family or friends nearby, how would you get out of the house and be with people? I quickly learned that these transports are so much more than a trip to the doctor. This is real human contact that most of us take for granted.
BE A GOOD CONVERSATIONALIST
The art of conversation is being a good listener and following up with interesting questions. One really classy lady I drove has had several strokes and it took me a minute to realize that I was asking questions that made it hard for her to respond. So, I reeled it in a bit and asked more recent, open ended type of questions that didn’t require a search of her memory, and didn’t require long answers that might be frustrating to her. My favorite passenger so far was a Mexican woman who comes from a large family. We stopped to grab a burrito after her appointment and one of her nephews was at the restaurant and she introduced me. After that, she told that her brothers and sisters get together every Thursday for coffee at one of the brother’s homes. Every Thursday. Can you imagine? I would love that.
TRY TO STAY HEALTHY and BE GRATEFUL
I am driving passengers to appointments for all kinds of things but the most eye opening has been to the dialysis clinic. I have never seen a place where people have a sadder look in their eyes than this clinic. I’m not sure what causes kidney failure besides too many doses of Tylenol but I can tell you every time I go to these doctor appointments with my passengers, I feel grateful (to the point of tears sometimes) that the only ailment I have at the moment is an arthritic knee. I have nothing to complain about.
LOOK FOR THE PERKS
One of my assignments right now is to take a woman to the grocery store every Friday at 9:00am. I love this one because I usually shop earlier in the week and often forget something. This assignment gets me to the store and I feel like it’s a 2-for-1 trip. I have been buying a 40 lb. bag of salt each Friday for my water softener. I am storing salt so I won’t have to pick it up in the hot summer months. Summers are brutal here and any time we don’t have to exert energy in the heat of the day it’s a win. I also don’t mind stopping for a bite to eat (we always go Dutch) when my passenger asks. The other perks are once a month meetings with the other drivers. Holiday potlucks with all the volunteers. And, just simply the joy knowing that I’ve helped someone get to where they needed to go and provided a friendly conversation to their day. Trust me, if I wasn’t getting something out of volunteering, I wouldn’t being doing it. I’m in it for the warm fuzzies! I am not that selfless after all.
I hope that if you read this far, you’ll think about volunteering in your community. Right now, I am doing an average of 2 rides a week and it takes about 3 hours each time. With winter visitors leaving next month, I think my rides will likely increase to 3 per week. It’s hard to find drivers that live here year round. I am at liberty to say no whenever I am asked to drive but I’ve only had to turn down one ride so far. We definitely need more drivers, especially in the summer.
Do you volunteer? If not, have you thought about volunteering? What keeps you from pursuing it? If you do volunteer, what is your favorite thing about your volunteer gig? Tell me!
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