Words of Wisdom

Most of you probably know that I volunteer for the Humane Society.  Each month, I go to the humane society, pick out a dog, and take it to a retirement home to visit the residents.  Last week, I was asked to do an interview.  The guy doing the interview is doing his thesis for his Masters Degree.

I was asked how I started volunteering, how long I've been doing it, and how I select the dog that I take.  He asked me about some of my more memorable visits and some of my favorite residents.  I asked him about his thesis project.  At the end of the interview, he asked me what I consider the most important question he could ask:  "What is the one thing you would say to anyone who's thinking about volunteering?"  I replied with these words of wisdom (paraphrased, of course)...

"We as a society spend far too much time keeping up with the Joneses.  We spend all of this time working, so that we can buy a bigger house... so that we can afford that shiny new car.  We seem to have forgotten that life isn't about things; it's about relationships.  I'm fortunate to have realized at a relatively young age that I have enough, while I'm in a position to give back.  It doesn't really matter how you choose to volunteer your time.  What matters is that you do something.  Life's to short to waste it on things, when you could invest it in people."

The interviewer kind of paused for a second and said "That's a great statement."  It was apparent that I caught him a bit off guard.  I've never thought of myself as a sage.  What I said in the interview is simply a philosophy that I try to live by.  His reaction kind of made me realize though, that my philosophy is something that's sorely lacking in our society.  Maybe, just maybe, if I say it here, where anyone and everyone can see my words, it could make a small difference to a few people.  And maybe if it made a difference to a few people, it could have a domino effect.  I don't expect that to be the case, but I can always hope.

Like I said, life isn't about things.  It's about relationships.