When did we stop volunteering?
I saw an extraordinary interlude last week when I visited St Paul’s School for Girls for high school reunion. One of the wonderful activities they planned for our Class of ‘66 was to pair each of us with someone from the 5th grade. The 5th graders wrote us a letter a couple of weeks before the Alumnae Weekend and then we met with them briefly on our school visit. What fun to compare notes! Each 5th grader has their own email address through the school and I am continuing to correspond with my buddy, Emmy Shields, who told me “I really like music because it is fun and when I have a lot of things to worry about, it seems to lift them off my shoulders!” What wisdom!
At the end of our visit (this is the extraordinary interlude), one of the teachers said to the group I need a volunteer. An amazing thing happened-almost every girl there raised her hand- they didn't even know what they were volunteering for, but they wanted to be the chosen one! Turned out our visit was going to make them late for their next class. This teacher thought it would be nice to take the cookies we hadn't eaten to the teacher whose class they were late for! Teaching them thoughtfulness and kindness!
What really delighted me, though, was the reaction of the girls to a request for a volunteer....
those girls were eager to participate in whatever life was going provide rather than being cautious about volunteering and taking a risk.
These days in my classes and my coaching practice, I spend a lot of time with grown ups-most of whom have ceased to be curious and eager to get a chance to try something unknown. As we age, it seems we become resigned and, sometimes, fearful of anything outside our comfort zone!
My challenge to you this week……
- Be aware & volunteer!
- Find something to say yes to! (yes…I know I usually tell you to say “no” more…humor me!)
- Find something to make life nicer for someone else!
- Reconnect with the child you were when you were 8 or 9 who wants to make a difference and then do it!
Make it a Delicious Day!
It IS up to YOU!!!!
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