Volunteering (it puts a smile on your dial) and you have a laugh as well

Last year I decided to start volunteering as it has been something I have wanted to do for so many years now but never had the time. So when the opportunity came along for me to volunteer I jumped at it. I do volunteer visiting with an older lady and love it, we get to have a good chat and I teach her some basic computer skills although on my first visit we seemed to not be able to get in to her email as it locked us out and today for some unknown reason the computer actually started talking to us, it sounded like Stephen Hawking which was bizarre. We both laughed very hard when that happened, partly because I couldn't contain it anymore and because it was really funny. I have never had a computer start talking to me so that is one for the books hahahahaha.

Seriously though volunteering is a wonderful thing to do and I know the lady I visit really gets a lot out of it and appreciates the company. But I really get so much out of the visit as well as I like knowing I am brightening someone's day ( even if I am nearly blowing up her computer) I know she enjoys the visit and that is important.

There are many ways you can volunteer in your area so if you have a spare hour or two either once a week or once a fortnight please get in touch with your local community aid centre or hospital or aged care facility as they can always do with an extra hand whether it be volunteer visiting, meals on wheels, gardening, helping them do some grocery shopping etc... whatever it is they would be grateful for any help you can give.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to volunteer and never take it for granted. It's also a lovely way to connect with the elderly in our community and spending time with an older person is a privilege as you learn so much as they always have so many wonderful stories to tell about times past and long ago. I also like to think that people would be kind and caring to my mum if she needed someone to visit her in the future.

I must admit through events in the past that have happened over the years I started to loose faith in the kindness of my fellow man but volunteering is showing me it still exists not only in myself but in thousands of people out there each week or fortnight putting some love and kindness back in to the world and that is putting a huge smile back on my dial.