Looking Back - Volunteering

Gratuity -  All the folks who have helped me out over the years.

Goals - We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.  ~Winston Churchill

One of my secondary goals was "Volunteering - Probably prefer cooking or something with animals."    This year I volunteered by cooking and serving once at the local soup kitchen and really did enjoy it.  It was organized by the IBM 100 year celebration.   An amazing women organized it and it seems she often volunteers with the scouts at this soup kitchen.    I found the soup kitchen really did not need many volunteers as they are staffed with paid workers but what they do need is a group to volunteer to plan the meal, buy the food , prepare, cook and serve the food.    I enjoyed the work but I am not so sure it really was a high impact volunteer activity.   

I also volunteered at the Beacon Strawberry festival helping to make the shortcake for the Strawberry Festival (the video at the link shows exactly what I did;  I think I was on a break when they took that video) .  There were lots of volunteers to help make money for the Beacon Sloop Clearwater group and make the crowds happy. 

With both these  volunteer opportunities,  I felt I got much more then I received.   So why don't I volunteer more?  The answer is because of guilt.   If I volunteer cooking then I think about the cooking I am not doing for my family.   If I  volunteer at the SPCA, I  think about not taking care of my own animals.   If I was to volunteer for Meals on Wheels, I would think I should be spending time with my own aging mother-in-law.

Hence I stay on the same roller coaster. Until I can take care of my own responsibilities, my volunteer efforts will be severely limited.  I know that I really am the one that suffers the most for this and that is why I am trying to figure out how to be more efficient with my time.    I really do want to make a life.

MIT - Laundry

What I ate

08:30AM	1 Peach
	1 Apple
	10 oz water
10:00AM	tea
11:00	1 Pear
01:00PM	1 Cup Kale Salad
03:00PM	1 Cup Curried Cashew Cauliflower with peas
	10 oz water
05:00PM	1 nectarine
	10 oz water
08:30PM	1 cup vegan Sausage and Pepper
	2 nectarine
	10 oz water