The Bible is very clear about not parading about and trumpeting about our good-works. The reason given is that people who do good-works for attention and for a moment under the spotlight to preen will have already received any merit those good-works would have otherwise earned them.
On the other hand, sometimes there is merit in sharing what kinds of volunteer activities are accessible and how much effort is required as a pump-primer for others. No pressure, here...just a log of what I did yesterday.
The day started off at 6:30 AM when Quicksilver was dropped off. I watched a half-hour of Shaun the Sheep. The up-side is that it had two of my favorite episodes, The Dirty Farmer and Pigs Swill Fly.
We fed the chicks and she played with two of them. We washed hands afterward.
Then we played Hide-and-Seek.
After that I changed a poopy diaper.
Then we watched about a half-hour of a phonics video.
I handed off Quicksilver to Mrs ERJ at about 9:15 AM.
Then I jumped into the truck to drive to a local high school to donate blood. It was organized and staffed by the National Honor Society. I was a walk-in but was shuffled in front of waiting students who were very willing to be out-of-class a little bit longer. I was finished and back in the truck by 11:45 AM.
I swung by a book store and bought a couple of books and was back home by 12:30.
A short nap.
Then, at 3:00 PM I was off to help at a local Friday Fish Fry. The funds went to support the local Parish school. The actual work-loading of the task I was assigned was approximately 40% so it was much less than arduous. I was back home by 7:30.
I don't want to imply that ALL of the jobs at the fish-fry are 40% loaded, just the one that I was trusted with. The guys who were putting the food on the plates were 100% loaded all night long! Unfortunately, the "foot-print" made it impossible to off-load any of their tasks.
I took care of the chickens. Talked with Mrs ERJ for a bit as we shared what we had done during the day.
Summary
Mundane tasks that need doing. The glue that holds the world together. None of them were done to put money in MY pocket, although Southern Belle pays us...that money ends up buying toys and cowgirl boots and things for Quicksilver.
I understand that many people cannot donate blood for various reasons, but you DON'T have to be a super-athlete to do it.
I understand that many people cannot stand for long periods of time, but the organizers of the fish-fry HAD jobs for people who could not stand. Two people manned the tub of ice where the drinks were sold. One was on portable oxygen and the other has a degenerative neuro-muscular issue. They were able to be productive while sitting.
So, that is why the tenor and tempo of my blogging will be "different" for the next little while.
It’s those mundane tasks that keep us busy and active. Day to day stuff involving family and friends.
ReplyDeleteERJ, many "Good deeds" look a great deal like pretty mundane deeds, which is why they often go undone. Fee people like the mundane.
ReplyDeleteIf you want something done well.
ReplyDeleteAsk a BUSY MAN.
If you want excuses, ask the idle man.
Yesterday a microburst dropped a large oak onto two other trees into my driveway and on top of my long-suffering old Toyota. I fear she's going to be totaled. My very first new car.
My very busy handyman-plow guy came over when I asked him, talked with the power crew (lost power pole also) and helped me chainsaw up and move all that debris.
Maybe God's way of telling you that you need more firewood for next winter.
DeleteOn the flip side, if you want to know the easiest and quickest way to complete a task, ask a lazy man.
DeleteYou're a good man ERJ. --ken
ReplyDeleteI've given up trying to donate blood. I was in the UK for work reasons back in the early 80's when "Mad Cow Disease" was prevalent, and apparently ate too many steaks at the pubs I dined at around Cornwall. The American Red Cross has decided my blood is forever tainted.
ReplyDeleteWhen I ran the Men's Breakfast, the attendance swelled from ~30 to more than 200 men and boys. In my recruiting of volunteers, I especially targeted the teenagers and young men. To help them coming back month after month, I rotated the heavy load positions.
ReplyDeleteThe point here is to rotate the tasks. This also instilled a sense of ownership which promulgated accountability. I am not sure of how, but I was amazed to see it taken hold.
Prior to rotation, a volunteer was apt to do that task, then wander off upon completion.
(I really don't like talking of what *I* did. Yet it seems fitting here.)
That is great management. I think younger guys can sometimes hear instructions better.
DeleteSome of the guys are very social and wander away from their jobs to gab with guys from other lightly-loaded jobs.
Other guys have highly loaded jobs but are resistant to input on how to do them more efficiently. No, it isn't me telling them, it is the coordinator of who is telling them the smoothest order to do things. They bristle, because they have been doing it the same, non-optimal way for three or five years.
I am SO GLAD that I am no longer a supervisor. Not my circus. Not my monkeys.
In business, one of the very best things I did was to let go all of my employees Since then, I used only contract labor who brought their own certification.
DeleteThe state would call them employees, but our understanding was we were on equal footing. I brought the work, I told them when and where. They carried all the responsibility for work performance and govt required paperwork. A generous daily rate, everyone happy.
Oh, you are absolutely correct about the older guys. So I parked them in floating, non critical duties. Menial work, to be honest. They were happy to be volunteering, happy to be left alone, happy for opportunity for idle chatter. I was happy things got done. Not 100% correct, but this was for guys, not as demanding as for mixed company.
Delete(So what if not every setting had a fork, or that salt shakers weren't filled.
The funniest, sharing because it is funny, is eight places per table, but less than eight chairs per. For some reason this became a constant frustration. Not for a lack of chairs.)