Contribution to society always meant paycheck to me. I fell into a profession that had the power to influence people: their activities and their impressions. And that always felt like my noble calling. The shows I created and produced touched people’s lives, not always in a good way (I’m not proud to admit), but usually so. We had the privilege of being public advocates for current affairs, offering up ideas for consideration and inspiration, creating community activities and entertaining people in their spare time. I loved playing to a mass audience; it felt like an important public service and provided me years of meaningful work and an increasingly healthy livelihood.
Then I stopped working. No more public platform to exercise my creative juices and throw hours and hours into devising concepts. Every morning offered a blank canvas with a glaringly empty “to-do” list. Nobody relied on me, no deadlines existed, no emergencies reared their heads, no more constantly ringing phone… Now what?
Now… began to mean living each day its own way and reflecting on the kinds of things that offered me meaning, joy, independence, and stimulation. So far, today is a life that includes playing with my pets, some travel, reading, yoga, meditation, exercise, yard work, cooking, friends, writing and volunteering.
Volunteering? I never offered my services for free during my “job” years. First, where would the time come from? The few hours of weekend I had to myself were devoted to errands and stuff like laundry and bill paying. Volunteering was what homemakers did. (Sorry if that offends anyone, no offense intended – just some truth telling.) It didn’t feel big to me or influential or important. And then I saw some listings in the local paper that started to resonate.
Tennessee’s largest horse rescue was holding an open house, a chance to visit their rehabilitated horses now available for adoption. I’ve always loved horses, use to ride them and have even yearned for my own. When I went for a visit I was overwhelmed with admiration for the volunteers’ selfless devotion to helping such magnificent creatures. I’d only experienced healthy, loved horses that were well taken care of. I had no idea that people starved their animals or left them to die on mountains. So now I’m among those who nurse these horses back to health. It’s hard to articulate how these animals make me feel and how their recoveries, both physically and emotionally, offer such satisfaction and meaning. They need us. For them, it’s a question of life or death. What’s more important than that? And the fact that this organization can’t subsist without our unpaid help makes my contribution all that more necessary. It’s a feeling I never had when I got my paychecks.
Passion for me has always included animals. I find their vulnerability encourages the same from me. There are no facades when communicating with animals, only genuine interaction that teases my heart wide open. Authentic relationships are the only kinds that matter to me. Anything else is a waste of time and energy in this short life span we’re offered.
It’s that kind of genuine relationship that also attracted me to hospice work. If there’s ever a time when a human being needs an attentive presence, it’s during one’s countdown to the end of life. And so I’m also, now, a hospice companion volunteer. My patients meet me when they’ve chosen to stop medical intervention for their diseases and, instead, to face death with palliative care. Hospice is a gift to the human species; their nurses and aides are among the most compassionate people I’ve ever met. I consider them heroes. My role is as the patient’s friend, an empathetic ear with no familial baggage or preconceived assumptions. We talk … we cry… we tell stories… I listen.
With an elderly woman whose passion for reading was pre-empted by deteriorating eyes, I read aloud. With an intellectually disabled man, my age – we assembled children’s puzzles, I read him picture books and offered encouragement for the days when he’d “be better;” he didn’t understand the extent of his disease. With a senior gentleman who would not live to mentor his young grandson into manhood, I listened to his sorrow that went unexpressed with his family. Does that sound like time meaningfully spent? I find it incredibly humbling and an un-paralleled learning experience.
Volunteering is a mundane phrase for a mammoth job. It’s influential, inspiring, meaningful and vital. And the fact that I don’t get paid makes it that much richer.
What offers meaning to your life? And how have impressions about satisfying that charge changed over the years? I’d love to hear about it.
And if Tennessee’s horse rescue intrigues you, please visit their website at horsehaventn.org. And you can see their video story on You Tube athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-DLMKETHFY
actthreedotnet 
I totally agree with your statement, “Volunteering is a mundane phrase for a mammoth job. It’s influential, inspiring, meaningful and vital.”
I started volunteering for a local women’s ministry when I quit JTV last February. It is a mammoth job in both the physical, “to-do list” type of way, and also emotionally and spiritually. I see all sorts of neglect, abuse and brokenness from the women who enter this ministry. Offering a smile, a hug and words of encouragement is free for me and sometimes everything to them. Empowering women and watching them realize their potential and worth is so rewarding to me. And the amazing part is, it spreads. Just a few small acts of kindness and love from volunteering starts a ripple effect in our community. It’s hard work, but fulfilling work. It’s well worth my time, and it is changing my life from the inside out.
Thanks for writing about this.
Heather
The joy is in the giving. That’s what I always heard and that’s I’m discovering first hand.
WOW Joyce…..your post today brought tears to my eyes bc I can so relate….obviously with your insight & love of animals that few truly experience, but also with spending time with people that don’t add something to your life or vise versa. The older I get the more strongly I feel about this. I have a tight “inner circle” as I call them and those few people I would do anything for and them for me. I trimmed the “fat” so to speak and I don’t feel bad about it. If you come into my life or me in yours I evaluate to see the message or the lesson and go from there. I love older people as well and I love how you describe your time with them. SOOOOO powerful. All anyone wants it to be heard and that is exactly the validation you give them. I love YOU & the journey your on. You have always inspired me & I admire you more than you know. XOXO
Living an authentic life. That’s what being alive means. Thanks for your thoughts Anna.
Wonderful writing , Joyce!
I have lived life in reverse of yours. i am one of those homemaker volunteers. Money was never really that important to me. Fortunately, my husband has provided abundantly for me and I was glad to share my time. Now I do jobs for a little pay. I am discovering what it feels like to have personal monetary value in society. I worked before to pay the bills but now I am doing what I love and discovering what value society gives to that. It is not easy for most people to find that nitch in society that is personally fulfilling and provides a comfortable living wage. Lucy us!
What’s interesting Jo, is that my need to earn my own living was planted at a very young age when I saw how my father controlled the money in our house. We kids never got an allowance; everyone just asked for money and then accounted for where it went if we needed more before my father thought was necessary. So I decided as a child that I’d work as soon as I was old enough and always have my own money with only my rules attached. That’s what I mean by being financially independent. I was also extremely fortunate to fall into a profession that I found captivating. I’m most grateful for that! So, in many ways, I live a spoiled life. I’m used to doing what I love to do – and that recognition and opportunity fills me with joy and gratitude most days. Some people tell me they find it hard to believe that I’m so happy all the time. That’s unfortunate for them, because, in truth, I usually am.
Hi Joyce – What a wonderful reflection! I would love to share this with our occupational therapy assistant students. We were just discussing roles and areas of occupation this morning (including volunteerism). Your words are eloquent and speak to the the relevance of meaning in our lives and activities.
Teri (aka the former Woolly Bugger Farm Soap maker!)
That would be wonder Teri! So glad to see you here. How did you find it?
I find volunteering pays in spades what a ‘real’ job pays. In fact, I seem to have a real aversion to the paying kind of job! I guess I’m sort of a homemaker but I definitely don’t think of myself that way. We jumped far off the treadmill, as our family travels fulltime in an RV volunteering at state and local parks along the way. Good luck in your next phase!
That sounds wonderful Holly! I’m going to follow you – I think your journey’s a fascinating one. We have an RV and have taken it out for longer stretches – the longest was 4-1/2 months. Hope to take it out this winter and go to Florida. You must meet a lot of interesting people volunteering at parks. Why not national parks?
We spend most winters in Florida so I could definitely recommend a few places. As with many things, it all depends on what you’re looking for in a campground or resort. As to National parks, we are not opposed to them; however, many are too “off the grid” so to speak. Far from groceries, cell towers, etc. They tend to have stricter rules regarding long term volunteering with children as well. (even though mine will all be teenagers in a matter of months!Yikes!) And in Florida, there’s a network of retirees that monopolize many of the top volunteering gigs. It’s quite extraordinary.
Your kids are teenagers and you’re a full timer? You must home school then. Do you get tired of the close cramped quarters? And what about a livelihood that allows you to afford that lifestyle?
We have friends in Venice, FL and she tells me there’s an RV park near their neighborhood. We’ll visit them for a while then head south toward the Keys. Ever stay in the Keys?
Sorry for the delay in replying. For some reason I’m not getting my wp emails! Yes, we homeschool (or road-school as many of my fellow nomads coin it). We were homeschoolers before the “full-time” status so the transition was not difficult. Our livelihood is primarily rental income acquired before the big boom of wall street rippled down to our residential contracting business. We are fortunate in that we are debt free…including property, truck, and our “mobile home” 😉
There are opportunities on the road to make money also- selling Christmas trees, pumpkins, and fireworks. We sold trees one year but don’t think we will do that again. My husband still does remodels every now an then. I stumbled upon customizing websites for a few people through word of mouth. It’s not something I’m an expert at but I’m “cheap” enough to still provide some value to those that need basic customization and more importantly, a bit of training to get going.
There are many families like us that work in all kinds of jobs..nursing, IT, theater troupe, workamping, insurance adjuster. Anyone that’s “location independent”!
We haven’t been as far as Venice on the west coast. However, the keys are my favorite destination except for the expensive laundromats. We usually spend one to two months in the area. Although, my favorite campground is Ft. Desoto County Park near St. Petersburg, Fl which isn’t too far from Venice. The sites on the water are amazing 😉
I’ll keep that in mind. We hope to hit the road this winter. Thanks so much for contributing!