How I Learned to Love Community Service :: Essays on Volunteering

He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.- ConfuciusCaring has the gift of devising the ordinary special.- George R. BachFiling. The word itself made me shudder. The hours washed-out kneeling at the cabinet searching for folders, the monotony of sorting hundreds of papers into piles, and the sharp sunburn of pain as my finger hit the edge of a partner at the wrong angle it was tortuous on so legion(predicate) levels.It had only been 3 months since Id started volunteering at the hospital, and already I was sick of it. The copious amounts of paper cuts Id compiled, the long forbidding hours of staring at the clock, the days of filing, filing and to a greater extent filing this was conjunction service? This was not helping anyone it was busy subject field. The more time I spend filing, the more my attitude became sullen and negative. Two weeks later, I was sent to work at the pediatric ward. Instead of the usual papers, I was handed a bab y Gently, the nurse said that the baby was ill and never had any visitors in order to get better, he needed to be held, and would I mind holding him for a few hours? So it happened that I spend four hours rocking a newborn baby, scared that I would somehow accidently deflower him. In those hours of feeling the warmth of a neglected child, of looking into his innocent, invoke eyes, I realized that this was the essence of community service helping those who couldnt help themselves and giving time to those who truly needed it. The satisfaction and ecstasy that washed over me were worth every minute I had spent filing, every paper cut that I had ever received. My mind more open, I understood that even filing helped people, and as such, hadnt been a waste of time.Since that bout of epiphany years ago, my volunteering has expanded. I hold a periodic class at my church teaching children about the bible. This experience has transform nearly every aspect of my life. Designing c raft lessons has increased my seminal sense something that Id sorely lacked before. My planning and organizational skills augment due to the time management thats required. My presentation and speaking skills generate drastically improved from being an awkward, mumbling speaker, I have become more eloquent and confident.