I’ve tried to quit volunteering for meals on wheels four times. Then I end up changing my mind and stay on the rotation.
My company sponsors a route for Meals on Wheels delivering meals each Friday to those that are in need. A group of us from the office divide up the weeks throughout the year. It equals out for me to deliver six times throughout the year. Honestly, it’s really not that much time.
I was considering commitments at the start of this year and I sent an email to our coordinator to pull me off the volunteer list. I’ve been a driver for over ten years. My job responsibilities have increased and the demands of life with small kids made me think if I should get more work done instead of volunteering.
I’ve been very lucky to be part of a company that allows for volunteer time during work hours- even to the extent of giving everyone eight hours of personal volunteer time each year to take work time and volunteer anywhere you want. I was just getting stressed and looking to make things more simple. Not a bad idea at all. However, as I got to thinking about it I changed my mind.
Every time I deliver meals I take one of my kids. They get checked out of school to go with me while we drive and deliver meals. It hit me: delivering meals gives me a chance to get out of the office, spend time with my kids, serving others in the community. Of course I should keep doing this.
In a world obsessed with efficiency and maximization of time, energy and money- we need some speed bumps in our life. Things that make life clunky and slow and downright questionable. We all know that in 25 years we won’t look back and be pumped at all that extra work we did with a two hour window six times a year. We will look back at the moments we had connecting with those closest to us while helping our neighbors. I know for me I’ll look back and revel in the memories of having that time with my kids.
We need some speed bumps in our lives. Some things that aren’t efficient… things that slow us down… chances are it’s these things that will help us experience the lives we hope to have.
