Time to give

By Ellen G. on April 16 2008 at 7:28 AM

Recently, I picked up my daughter from a friend's house after a playdate. I had run there after work and had 15 minutes to make it to pick up my other child. The mom asked if I had a minute to stay and chat, and I said, yes, although it would literally be a minute.

She proceeded to prattle on and on about how tired she was because she was so busy. WHAT she was busy doing, I have no idea. She has two kids in school full time and is a SAHM. All I know is that she is BUSY. Fine, none of my business what she's doing, and that's ok. What wasn't ok was she then started in on me because I am CRAZY to volunteer for as much as I do, and I have to take time to look out for myself.

Excuse moi! You can call my kid ugly, but don't you even think about messing with my missions!

For the record, I volunteer on a regular basis with Girl Scouts and youth soccer, and seasonally with the school PTA and Food Allergy and Anaphalaxis events. I do it because I CARE. Because my time, precious tho it may be, makes a difference when I use it to support something I care about.

How can I get it through this woman's head that my involving myself in these activities and causes is good for EVERYONE -me, my family and the people who are supported in these activities? The answer is that I can't do it conventionally, but I can be sneaky about it. I can start by using this blog to tell you about how you can make a difference by giving your time to causes that you believe in. How is doesn't take nearly as much time as you might think. How you can get others to support your cause and volunteer. How easy it is to make a difference - to your family, your community, and beyond. Stay tuned, there's something in this for everyone!

Comments

Great post! I totally know how you feel! It bothers me when people ask me why I "bother" doing all that I do. My response: "why not?!" It saddens me that if there's no monetary or some other sort of gain people tend to avoid going out of their way for others. They take us volunteers for granted! Imagine a world full of people like that? I also try to find ways for people to get involved with good intentions, which is very tricky but it makes me smile when I do come across such people. :)

You go, girl! For a busy person to take the time to volunteer is incredibly admirable, so I'm glad you're not letting her comments cause you to second guess yourself :)

She was looking for an "out' from her own inability to do so...(volunteer), but your reply was OBVIOUSLY not what she was looking for. I love moments like this, can you say "smack?"