There's a saying in the Armed Forces in Britain (and probably other countries too! ) which goes "A Volunteer is someone who misunderstood the question".

That's me, that is! I volunteered to help re-do my friends bathroom over the weekend, so I was there with my tools etc. etc. ..... cut a long story short, what I thought would take a day, tops, took ALL weekend plus half of today! Cheesh!

Anyone else volunteer for something that took more time/money/effort than you first thought?

DM


P.S. Found out I did all that with a broken wrist...... it's my frigging MOUSE hand too!

DM, sat in my mousehole feeling PAAAIIN!!!

__________________
The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind

dm383,


Yes sir, I have! I volunteered to “chip in” with the Boy Scout troop; after all it was “only an hour a week”.

Scouting will absorb as many hours as you’re willing to make available!

__________________
Eudaimonia

Yep and more than once. Offered to help load a truck for charity ... ended up took two days to get it all loaded. First attempt ... the truck hadn't arrived at the warehouse when we all got there. Met again later that day, but couldn't get the forklift to help raise some of the material onto the truck. 2nd day, things finally when right.

Glad to do it, but wish I'd known what was going to be involved.

Hey DM, sorry, answered about the time you did. You're right about scouting. Seems like most volunteer work goes that way.

Everyone is so starved for assistance that people who volunteer end up getting buried in "work". I've been involved with Habitat for Humanity for a while now and have gone from swinging a hammer on Saturdays to joining the board and two additional committees... eventually becoming the current board VP. All while continuing to swing a hammer on Saturdays.

I have gotten in over my head a few times, and it has at times put a strain on my life at home. I mean, I'm giving up time with my family to do all of it. But then, if I don't help...who will? I used to think "oh, someone else will take care of it" but now that I'm so involved, I see that there isn't always someone else there.

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

WildIrish,

Yessir! It's a real problem. I wish I knew how to get more people involved.

__________________
Eudaimonia

We bribe people with food.

Homemade muffins work well.

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

I think everyone should be *required* to give their time to some organization and volunteer, or their tax rates go up!

Seriously...I've pulled back from a few of my organizations a bit because of travel (for instance, for the first time in 7 years I did NOT teach Junior Achievement this year). But it bothers me because I know often times the work simply does not get done.

For instance, LAST year 40% of the classrooms in Columbus who wanted to do JA did not have a teacher volunteer. That's just sad!

I've moved on to more "transient" activities like helping with food lines, and an occasional mentor or public speaking night at Ohio State. I've also spent some time helping people with resumes........and while cleaning out my closets (and Mr. Osuche's) we managed to donate 10 trash bags worth of clothes, shoes, toiletries, linens, food, etc recently and I took them to a shelter. It's not the same....I miss my old activities...but it's better than nothing.

__________________
Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

osuche,

Hey! Hang in there madam. You can only do so much. You do what you can.

__________________
Eudaimonia

Every play I've ever been involved in for my drama group becomes a huge drain of my time and energy......and every time it gets to about this stage in a production (about two weeks from first night) I promise myself I'm having nothing to do with the next production, and every time (just about) I cave and end up roped in to auditioning for a part, or helping out with make-up etc.

Wouldn't change it for the world though.

__________________
"Time flies like an arrow -
Fruit flies like a banana"

M Y - N A U G H T Y - P I C T U R E S ! !

Yep DM! I've volunteered to sit in watch of posts from you...and I've been waiting for what seems like forever! Bout f'in time mister!

Sorry bout your wrist...hope you are a fast healer or ambidextrous!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

Wrist-wise, it's a tiny fracture plus BIG sprain! Sorry 'bout the lo-o-o-ong wait hon, but I've managed to finally afford a new digicamera, so ya never know!! (When I've healed up o'course!!)

DM

__________________
The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind

/me taps fingers impatiently and waits for DM to heal......


.....unless of course he would be willing to engage a photographer?

__________________
Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

i was gonna volunteer for an environmental group, but they were gonna make me spend like 20 hours a week minimum on research for them...and of course it was all non-paid. Then I came to find out they were real whackos, like they were very political and trying to be a non-profit.....when you're a non-profit organization you are supposed to be unbias, unpartisan, all of that...so I thought they were nothing but dodgy ...I still recieve updates from them, but after phone conversations and lots of e-mails..I've come to think of them as more of a cult! lol

__________________
Xs and Os,
Kristin

Well, from the pix I've seen of you, osuche, you'd probably do a Much better job than I will! Pity you're so far away, or I'd take you up on that! ('course, you're married too now....dammit! )

DM

__________________
The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind

Mr. Osuche tells me I need a hobby. I see no reason why he wouldn't be supportive

Hmmmm....I'll be on the mainland in late January. Makes me wonder about the possibilities...

__________________
Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney