Helping others can be an informal affair. Opportunities for regular small acts of kindness are of course only limited by your imagination. Giving can be a boomerang; just when you think you understand who is helping and who is receiving the help, the tables can quickly turn. As cliche as it may be, giving can be its own reward.
I really like Mary Oliver’s quote, “Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.” It makes me think of one of my favourite children’s books that I found when my daughter was little called, “Have You Filled A Bucket Today,” by Carol McCloud. The basic premise of the book is that there are healthy ways to fill your own bucket so that you don’t rely on dipping into or emptying other people’s buckets but instead help others fill their buckets too. (If you have a little person to still buy a gift for, this book is beautiful.)
Deciding to give to others could be as simple as smiling at people you encounter throughout your day, opening doors, complimenting someone on their amazing work, allowing someone to go ahead of you in line, or giving someone the last piece of cake.
You could also informally give your time or offer a specific skill. Help a neighbour shovel their driveway, pick up groceries or run errands for someone you know who needs the extra help, do some accounting work if that’s your strength, start a GoFundMe page for someone who might not otherwise make that step themselves without your help or organize a meal rotation/delivery for a family in an acute crisis.
Volunteering as a group might also be fun on an on-going basis for a specific event/organization or as a one-off like a spring garbage cleanup or planting trees on earth day.
Steps to finding a more formal volunteer opportunity:
- Know the skills you have to offer
- Ask yourself, “Why do I want to volunteer?”
- Be realistic about your availability
- Decide where and how you want to make a difference
- Start small and go from there
If you live in the Guelph/Wellington area, here is a local volunteer directory that could connect you with an opportunity perfect for you. Also have a look at Volunteer World’s, Volunteer in Canada suggestions or at the skills-based volunteering site Volunteer.ca.
I hope this post helps if this is something you are interested in. Let me know if you find a great opportunity. I would love to hear about it. If you have suggestions for informal ways of giving to others, post that in the comments too.
Wonderful topic today. Volunteering – so many options. I volunteer at the River Run Centre. Aside from meeting patrons, fellow volunteers and giving back to the city, a River Run volunteer gets to see that particular performance for free. It’s a win-win situtation.
I also walk a senior’s Retriever every evening. I don’t know who enjoys it more – her dog, my dog or me. LOL
Because so many new people in Guelph are immigrants, I’m looking into ways of helping them learn English in a casual environment. Not sure how to go about this, so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.
Thanks Katherine for all your wonderful and thoughtful posts.
Lise, thank you for sharing this. When I was putting this blog post together, I saw that there was a posting for respite puppy care for puppies who are training to be support dogs. My heart is absolutely aching to do this. I will have to have a deep and persuasive discussion with both my husband and my head-strong kitty, Lou, who doesn’t appear to be a fan of any other pets on or near our property, lol. My daughter and I are ‘all in’ upon learning that this is even a need in the community but not sure if we are the right household for this. I just know there are other needs for volunteers that will be perfect for us. I will give some thought as to how you might support language skills with those new to the area. It is a really great idea. What if you posted at a cafe you like for a coffee or tea meet-up? Some faith-based groups may be sponsoring some families too and could be the initial connection?