Tag: volunteering

‘Til the pigs come home

My man had rodeo shifts all weekend. 5pm-1am Friday night; then 2pm-11pm Saturday night; then midnight-7:45am Sunday morning (that one was helping move-in for the pigs, so he was literally helping the pigs get into their temporary homes!); and finally 1:30pm-10pm Sunday.

Basically, that means he slept maybe six hours Friday night, then he slept an hour this morning from eight to nine, then took another hour nap after Church, from roughly 11:30-noon-thirty, and that was it for the whole weekend. Granted, he’s the one who scheduled himself for everything this weekend – he had other choices for how to do his shifts. But this was what he picked. I have a feeling he won’t be doing another weekend like this in the future, however. I think he learned that such a schedule just doesn’t work out for him anymore.

He barely made it to the rocking chair when he got home tonight, then talked to me intermittently for about fifteen or twenty minutes until he passed out in the chair. I finally got him up a couple hours later to brush his teeth and shower and get into bed. He resisted fiercely and definitely still half-asleep, giving me lots of nonsense declarations about, ‘Why are you starting there?!’ and the likes. Eventually, though, he did it. When he got into the shower, the massive sigh of relieve that he emitted made it all worth the hassle – I knew he would feel better and then sleep better if he had gotten to shower and then get into bed instead of sleeping all sweaty and sticky on the rocking chair all night. He would have woken up so miserable in the morning… I don’t know that he would have been able to get much work done.

At that, I’m setting his morning alarm and then going to sleep myself, now. Goodnight!

Thank you for a safe weekend, God. Thank you. Amen.

Post-a-day 2023

Volunteering

Nothing quite like being yelled at by angry people who thing you’re responsible for their problem, when, really, they just didn’t read the directions in their e-mail to download the ticket app and to create and account… It’s actually quite easy to do, really, yet loads of people struggle with it. And why do they struggle? They DO NOT READ THE SIMPLE DIRECTIONS THEY RECEIVE IN AN E-MAIL.

Uuuuaaaagggghhh(!!!!!!!!!!!)!!!

Glad I get to go to sleep now.

Post-a-day 2023

Being of service

This week, I chose to be of service. I was only signed up for work on my rodeo committee on Sunday and on Wednesday. However, I was there and working every day this week. I didn’t have to be there. I just genuinely wanted to be there. And, once I was there, I always asked what our leaders needed. Usually, they had an answer. Oftentimes, I didn’t even need to ask – just by seeing me, they would ask me to go do this or that. Why? Because I’m reliable and I get stuff done, they said.

And I am grateful for that. All of it. Thank you for this amazing week, God. Thank you. Please, help me continue to be of service and to learn and to better myself and to make a positive difference in the world. And, if you would, help me to do that while earning lots of money, please, so that I may care even more so for my family and loved ones . In your name, I pray. Amen.

P.S. I hope everyone had a happy Texas Independence Day today!

Post-a-day 2023

Cold

Usually, by morning, the ice in my YETI tumbler – no lid – is long gone, with only a hint of cold to the water still in it. Sometimes, when I go to bed earlier, the water is barely cool by morning. Today, however, even with the heat on in the house, as I am going to bed at nearly 11pm, there is still a huge chunk of ice sitting in my tumbler from last night… clearly, it has gotten cold here.

I whipped out my ski pants and winter coat and wool beret and SmartWool socks – and I even tested those in my tennis shoes – to wear tomorrow morning for this run. My man is running in it, and I am volunteering for it. I am so glad I had the karate thing at the park this morning, so I was clear on what was warm enough and what wasn’t. (Three layers of pants was okay, as were three layers on top, including a casual winter coat. The warmer socks were nowhere near enough. The cotton knit beanie made all the difference.) So, I think I’m ready for the weather tomorrow, which will be even colder than it was today – today was 41/5, but tomorrow morning is forecasted as 39/4 degrees. Since I’ll be doing a lot of standing around outside, possibly even in the wind, I think the winter costa Ms ski pants are a good move. My man, however, might not have the right gear for his run… the plan at present is for him to wear high socks and a warm top and gloves, plus a pair of sweatpants that he’ll pass off to me just before he starts off… We certainly shall see how that goes, shan’t we? 😛

Say a prayer for us, if you don’t mind, please. Keep us safe and appropriately warm, God. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Trust

God, I trust you.

Today, I went to help/volunteer at a track and field meet. I verbally signed up in response to a sort of challenge back in November – something about how I didn’t have a problem with early mornings, and so didn’t think I would struggle with their schedule…, I think. I had been told (and write in my calendar and verbally confirmed) that we needed to be there at 5am to set up. Turns out, it was actually 5:30am, which is rather different so early in the morning.

My friend had asked me why I even was going, when we were watching the Olympics the night before, and I’d said I had to go to bed, even though I’d wanted to keep watching. She said that since I didn’t have to be there, then why was I even going, since I had an alternative of staying up to watch Olympics and spend time with her. I considered it, but it was only moments for me to be 100% clear that I truly wanted to go to this meet and that I felt a real calling to be there (and to be on time and do the whole thing).

And getting there too early actually worked out perfectly, because it then became a whole silly and impressive thing that I was possibly the first person ever to arrive before this one particular coach.

The day as a whole was awesome. I felt throughout my whole being that I was where I needed to be today, on every level. It was spectacular. Oh, God, thank you for this amazing blessing. I am awed by the glory of this whole experience and the love I truly was given through it today. Thank you. Amen. Please, help me to continue to have such experiences, where I can feel that I am exactly where I need to be and where I am needed, exactly when I need to be there. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Volun-cheering

Today was awesome, yet stressful, but both in very good ways.

First, I had an awesome time volunteering with my gym at sunrise for the Bayou City Tri Series 2021 Sylvan Beach Paralympic Triathlon. We had the honor of physically and verbally assisting paratriathletes in their transitions, as they worked toward earning points to be part of Team USA. I think we all look forward to the next such opportunity – it was a blessing and a blast for us all. ❤🤗🙏 💪👊🏻

And it brought me to tears multiple times, it was such an honor to be a part of it all.

It also brought back memories of my many sports volunteering days, and had me wondering yet again if I don’t want to find actual work in that world, somehow… There was a lot that, unfortunately, had not been sorted out properly for the event as a whole – there were other races happening this morning, too. Our little crew took it upon ourselves just to go ahead and handle many of those things, making a tremendous difference for all athletes that were out there racing today. And I enjoyed doing even that stuff.

From there, after the sun was well over the horizon but not all that far up, I headed to a karate tournament that was nearby. It was my first one in roughly 18 years, and my first one ever in the adult division. I was absolutely nervous, but I had all day to get even more so, since my division wasn’t until mid-afternoon. But I had volunteered to take photos, and so I got to enjoy working with that throughout all the kids’ sparring all morning and midday.

I did take a good couple minutes at one point in a private room with myself to talk and make noise and jump and move, fully on my own. And I did give myself close to a minute to go ahead and experience all the pent-up emotion that had been building all day, just a short while before my category was going to be up. (Aka I cried brief tears of stress and anxiety, and let a lot go with them as they lightly tripped out of my eyes.)

I had someone record my match for me, and he did so well enough. It turns out that I actually did better than I had thought I’d done at the actual time of the match. After watching the matches of the adults at the end, the highest ranked individuals, I have been able to see styles of everyone, and how much comfort makes a difference in a match. When someone is comfortable, he or she almost always does very well. When someone is uncomfortable, he or she usually does not very well. That isn’t to say win versus lose – I mean doing well, sparring well, technique-ing well (both attack and defense). Yes, that usually also results in winning, if those are all done well. But it isn’t about winning to me these days, so much as it is about doing well. Winning when doing well, however, just adds to the fun and joy of it all.

I have some specifics on which I want to work – reacting with a point-earning move to being blocked, practicing different point-earning trio combinations, and backward spinning kicks (one would have created a beautiful point today, but I had neither confidence nor comfort in it, so didn’t even consider it – only the video afterward showed me the opportunity [I’d spun and everything, but didn’t even try to hit her with the foot]). Now, just to find the partner to work with me, and the place to do it.

Oh, and this was one of the very few times that I 1)didn’t lose a match at a tournament, and 2)didn’t cry after the match. Good start in my eyes, even just for those two facts! ;P

So, yeah… today was a really great-for-me day, all of its stresses included.

Post-a-day 2021

It really is all relative

Tonight, I was reminded of a girl I met, while I was living in Toulouse, France.  She was in school (high school, I believe), and doing a temporary internship at the place where I was doing my volunteering.  She was from a small country that was at war (and it might still be, but I haven’t kept up with the news).  She had a boyfriend and a baby of her own, in addition to a younger sister, I believe.  She taught me much.

What I was discussing with my mom tonight is how relative things are in life.  Just as in Aesop’s last fable today, with the bunny rabbits about to drown themselves in their exhaustion of living in fear, and suddenly discovering the frogs at the pond afraid of them, causing them to realize that someone had it worse off than they did, so is life.  No matter what one’s struggles and turmoils, there’s always someone worse off.  And I feel like our turmoils and struggles are saddening next to the real turmoils and struggles of other parts of the world.  This girl spoke to me about her country of origin, and how they moved to France.  And, when she spoke about it all, it were as though she were telling me about a class project, or how she went grocery shopping yesterday.  Those, however, were not the subject matter.  What I remember most of her story, is how people broke into her house one day/night, beat up her parents (and possibly her, too), and then took her father.  Her family tried offering money as a ransom for her father’s return, but no information was even received regarding her father – they never found out if he even was alive or dead, or who had taken him.  Just some men, she’d said.

I mean it that it were as though she were telling me about what she did yesterday after work/school.  She was not sad in her words, nor was she hauntingly depressed in her eyes or spirit.  She was living life as I was, and merely sharing about something.  ‘Yeah, I don’t know where Josh went after dinner, but he left.  We called him, but never got a response.  Maybe he went home, instead of coming for coffees with us.’  That’s was the easiness with which she spoke – no premeditation or practice.  It was just what’s so, and so that was how she told it.

I say a prayer for the world tonight.

Post-a-day 2017

Say, What?!

Today, my mom and I went around to help out in various places nearby.  We still haven’t hit the highest bit of water for our area as a result of the storm (although the rain has stopped completely), but we have another day or two before then, and the roads were really quite passable in many places already today.  So, we decided to get out and be active, since we’ve been so sedentary throughout the storm, and we’re likely to be stuck in our neighborhood another handful of days if the upcoming flooding goes as predicted (Fortunately, it keeps lowering its levels in the forecast every 12-ish hours or so, but we prefer to err on the safe side and be prepared for more days of being home.).

All of this is not the main point for this writing, however, so I move onward to my purpose.

As we were driving from our third helping location to our fourth, my mom was responding to a text message using voice recognition.  I pointed out the direction we needed to go, accepted my mom’s correction of our very first turn, and then continued in reminding her of the safe way to get out of the flooded neighborhood.  As I pointed out a stop sign that was hidden behind a whole line of cars, we herd a beep emit from her phone.  We both instantly knew that the voice recognition had just ended.

And that, naturally, it had been doing its best to write up whatever it had been hearing of our conversation.  I instantly told my mom to send it as-is to our friend.  Why?  Because he does that sort of thing to us all of the time.  He regularly sends a message using voice recognition without even checking what ended up in the text of the message.  He claimed that it is always close enough, so we can always figure it out.  So, he knows that he sends nonsense messages a good amount of the time, and he doesn’t mind it.

Therefore, as I read it aloud to my mother, and could barely speak for the intensity of my laughter, I knew we had to send it to him as it was.  I gave it to my mom, and told her just to try to read it, go on… She could barely do it herself, she began crying with laughter along with me.  It wasn’t just that we were ‘getting back at’ our friend that we were laughing, but the fact that what had been put into the text of the message was hardly even close to what we had actually said.  In the whole double sentence that seemed to have developed in the message, we had only actually said the words “No, left,” and “…turn right.”  None of the others were words that we had even said.

Having thoroughly read the message, then, my mom sent it on to our friend.  Actually, she had me read it a second time aloud, after the first time had been such a total struggle, and decided then to send it.  So, I sent the message then, and then I gave it to her to read herself while at a stoplight.  It was a wonderful and welcome comic and laughter-filled relief for the craziness of the day.  Try it some time, and you’ll see what I mean by the joy we found in the text of the message.  Turn on your voice recognition for a message to someone, and then begin conversation with a nearby person.  You’re likely in for a real treat of words.  🙂

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Post-a-day 2017