Let’s talk about volunteering, shall we?
I remember, when my girls were really young, I read a book called “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” (or something like that). It was a witty, fictional book by a British author about a mom who does it ALL! Crazy career demands, marriage maintenance, friendships and, of course, motherhood. There was one scene when she was up until 3am making something for her daughter’s kinder class; something involving potatoes, food coloring, and lots of mess. The kid, of course, was sleeping and the mom had all kinds of rants running through her head.
I remember reading that, thinking, “Well, she just needs to make different choices. I’ll never get sucked into something that ridiculous.”
Fast-forward five years and my kids are in SCHOOL. A school where, to be honest, the moms are all Type-A. I love this school and the parents because everyone is so involved and cares tremendously. But everyone is so involved and cares tremendously. That means they come up with about a gillion ways for fellow parents to give of their time and money. Since we’re lacking in the second category compared to many of the others, I give of my time.
This last weekend, we had the annual auction for the school - an event that takes nine months to plan, requires meetings every two weeks throughout the school year, forces people to cooperate in rather stressful situations, and taps a tremendous amount of energy from everyone involved. But I was involved… there was a time in February when I got the shingles virus in my MOUTH because I got so stressed (it’s my nature. no one was pushing me more than anyone else) and I realized… I HAD BECOME HER! The woman who stayed up until 3am making potato class projects!
The big event was this past Saturday and it was MARVELOUS! I was so proud to have been part of it, and I really played a very small part… but I played the part that I could. I learned a lot from it, too. Such as:
- I don’t HAVE to do everything I’m asked to do. Because people just keep asking!
- I can set my own deadlines. I should not continuously ask others “when do you need it?” I should say, “Here’s when you’ll get it.”
- If I end up working with someone unpleasant, I can opt out. I don’t have to suffer for the greater good! There are better ways to spend my time… like with my kids!
- Finally, I AM proud of my role and I will be part of the event next year. I just wish that people who weren’t as involved as I was would take a minute to complement our endeavors before letting us know how it could have been better. My lesson: I will never offer criticism to a volunteer who has pulled off a giant feat. Rather, I will be grateful that she/he did something I was unable/unwilling to do!
OK, that’s a bit of a rant! It’s where I’m at this morning. Here’s a pic of me and my girls taken by the sitter just before I left for the event. It was a Kentucky Derby theme, so we donned our hats!
Onward!
