Volunteering

[octopi]

I have done some volunteering with Big Brothers and Sisters, just their in school mentoring. I have also worked in an old folk's home, visiting with older people and those who need assistance (people paralyzed via car wrecks or multiple sclerosis etc), reading and talking with them.

I got involved with both to hopefully increase my patience level and give me some sort of perspective on when I was having a [censored] day. In retrospect, I'm not sure I really accomplished what I had hoped for. I probably donated an hour or so of my time to each activity each week. I didn't really feel, well, useful. I didn't expect a party each month for what I was accomplishing, but the tasks felt empty and I wasn't sure I was really being helpful. Lack of feedback, I guess. I also felt slightly patronizing.

Lately I've been considering reading for the blind, but there was quite a selection process for it and I was (sadly) really put off of it. I've also thought about driving cancer patients to and from their chemotherapy appointments, but I'm not really sure I have the right personality for it. I'd like to help the world in some manner, but in a way that would be most beneficial to the people I'm helping, and myself. Call it selfish, but I just want to gain something else from what I do than declaring "oh, yes, I volunteer" at the next party I'm at like it's some sort of miraculous event.