Involve Yourself

Volunteering is one of the most amazing experiences. Not only is it eye opening, you are also guaranteed to meet some of the nicest people there are.
I have recently joined a non-profit organization, Public Action to Provide Shelter (PADS). PADS is a program that provides the homeless with a warm meal and a place to sleep from October- April each year. There are seven different PADS sites around the county, each one assigned to a different night of the week. So for instance, site #1 provides shelter on Monday nights, site #2-Tuesday nights, and so on. I had read about this program in the spring when they were wrapping up for the season and I kept my eyes open (in the local newspaper) for information this fall when I knew it would be starting back up again. I attended the informational meeting and knew it was definitely something I wanted to be apart of.
There are different shifts and weeks that volunteers sign up for. As a volunteer you work one shift a month, with the shifts being about 5 hours long, give or take. Which if you ask me, giving up 5 hours a month to give someone that doesn't have a home a warm place to sleep is the least I could do. So that is exactly what I did yesterday morning. I worked the morning shift which goes from 2:45am to about 7:30am. When I arrived at 2:45am all of our guests were fast asleep, snoring away. The other volunteers on my shift were an older married couple. As we sat in the hallway outside of the designated sleeping areas we got to talking (or should I say whispering). They asked me where I went to school, what I got my degree in, what I wanted to do, what I was currently doing, etc. You know, the normal questions that everyone asks a newly graduated person. 
The women then got to telling me that they just recently got a new family ministry leader at the church (fyi- all of the PADS sites are churches). She explained that they needed someone to help out with the youth and they would love to have me if I were interested in gaining that type of experience. She also told me that next month she would bring me a social work magazine that she gets in the mail.
Before I go on, I guess I should clarify that I graduated with a degree in Sociology and I want to work in the social services, for you that do not know. 
Then, the pastor showed up at about 5am to help us with 6am wake-up, breakfast, and the closing down of the PADS site for the day. He also asked me the questions I have listed above and then told me to look into the County's Health Department for a job, as he had served on the Board for many years up until last year. He said to use him as a reference and he would be more than willing to write any recommendation for me. This was all within ten minutes of meeting me. How are these people so nice and willing to lend assistance without even being asked? The generosity of some people is amazing.

Now, back to the homeless. First off, being homeless means just that, home-less. It does not necessarily mean these people are begging for change or holding up signs. Some have cars, bicycles, a variety of clothing, etc while others may not. Many people assume that a homeless person is homeless because of their own bad decisions, a drug and/or alcohol addiction, something along those lines. Which i'm sure is very true for many cases. But not all. Some people end up homeless due to bad luck and misfortune, and others have been rejected by the ones that should love them. Just because someone is homeless does not mean they are irresponsible, it does not mean that they are bad people or lazy or that they don't care. For instance, on my shift, one of the guests had an early wake up call request. Why? because she had work.
Some of these people are living out of their car, some without even that. Some may not have a permanent place of residence because they have left an abusive partner or can no longer make the rent payment due to their work hours being cut.
Now, I don't know why exactly each of our guests are there, but I know it could be any one of these reasons. We are often quick to jump to conclusions, but there is far more than what is presented to us visually. Think about how easily it would be for one of us to end up homeless if it wasn't for our families?

--It is important to recognize and count your blessings. Take the time to realize and enjoy them. Write them down. Share them with others. & then, make your actions someone else's blessing.--

As each of us have heard plenty of times before, we take things for granted much too often. By becoming involved in your community and helping out when & where you can, you start to gain a better perspective on not only other people's lives but your own as well. We fall into routine much too easily and forget how easy it is to extend a helping hand.

The best thing you can give someone is your time &if you say you don't have any to spare, stop lying to yourself. Whether it be taking your elderly neighbor's dog for a walk a couple times a week or simply visiting with them over a cup of coffee, you have the power to make a positive impact on other people's lives. Opportunities surround you, all you have to do is open your eyes a little wider and take notice.

xox- k

Back Into My Brain

Blogging crosses my mind all the time, but it doesn't seem to actually happen very often (as you guys can see). There are numerous times throughout the week that I think 'oh, i want to blog about that!' but I am usually at work and by the time I get home I forget where I was going with the idea or I don't feel like dragging out my laptop. & if you have had the pleasure of getting to know my laptop you know that it is soon to celebrate it's fifth birthday, it's a hefty little thing, it can be loud in a quiet room, and it gives third degree burns after 20 minutes of sitting on your lap. Nonetheless, I still appreciate the fact that it continues to turn on (sometimes with a little coaxing) for me after so many years (hey, 5 is practically ancient in laptop years).

So, even with those plausible excuses I vow to do my best to get back into the habit of blogging more. Whenever I do sit down to blog it is really relaxing and I enjoy doing it. It's a cheap kind of therapy for me (shopping only gets me so far with my budget these days).

Today's blog is going to be like my previous blog 'Inside My Head'. If you haven't read it, that blog post contained a variety of little thoughts that I had over the course of a day or two. Again, if you know me, you know the wheels in my head are constantly turning.

Here's another look inside my head,

• Orchids. I also told myself that I would marry the first guy that bought me an orchid, no questions asked. If they showed up with an orchid, I would be down on one knee without a doubt (If you have seen The Perfect Man with Hilary Duff, then you would understand... if not, go watch it). Anyway, after waiting years for some guy to show up on my doorstep with orchid in hand, I decided if I wanted an orchid, I would just have to go get myself an orchid. So about two weeks ago, I drove myself to Home Depot and picked out the prettiest orchid they had. It now sits on my end table in my room looking absolutely perfect.. I love it. Lets be honest, if you wait around for the perfect man to arrive, orchid and all, you'll be waiting around forever, because those don't exist...am i right, ladies?! ;) hahaha, don't worry I still have a tiny bit of hope (thank you, Disney).  Just remember, at the end of the day, the one person you can always count on is yourself. 
• Last names. Okay, I might have written about this one before, I'm not one hundred percent sure. But, there is something about hyphenated last names that just really really really really really gets to me. I just don't get them. I am beyond thankful that I do not have a hyphenated last name because I just wouldn't be able to handle it. If I get married, then I'll change my last name to match my husbands. I understand that I will always be a Kovac, even if my drivers license doesn't say so. I do not need my last name tagged onto my new one with a little - in between. No thank you, not my cup of tea. & I will not hyphenate my children's last name. If you happen to have a hyphenated last name, I hope that you do not take offense to this small rant. Hyphenated names are just not on my to-do list. 
• Speaking of to-do lists... I have been writing to-do lists like none other lately. I write down the smallest things to the biggest things, pointless things to important things, ordinary things to random things. I feel more put to together if I have it written down somewhere that I can refer back to. It also makes me feel way more productive and purposeful. I am able to track the progress that I am making, even if it is the smallest step forward (like putting my shoes away). Plus, who doesn't love scribbling out items on their list as they go about their day? 
• I think I have acquired organizational OCD since I have moved back home from school. I am constantly going through drawers, closets, boxes, clothes, etc. Even when I have cleaned and organized a part of my room a week earlier, I feel like I need to go through it again and reevaluate the situation. I'm not sure when I became such a minimalist but even having one pair of earrings sitting on my dresser makes me uneasy. Who am I? I don't know, but i'm not complaining about this new development. 
• Mail. Snail mail. USPS. You know, the type of mail that is handwritten and sealed in an envelope and put in a mailbox to eventually arrive at it's new destination days later? Everyone loves getting cards or letters in the mail. Well, at least I do. Becoming active again in Soldiers' Angels has made me appreciate mail once again [for those of you who don't know what Soldiers' Angels is, it's an organization that allows people to support our troops by signing up to be penpals, a soldier's 'angel'(penpal & sending care packages), along with a variety of other options. I am currently on the letter writing team-I get one name every Wednesday that I send a card to-, as well as having an ePal -penpal, via e-mails]. I love sending out my weekly card in the mail. I love the idea of the whole mail system. I like how someone writes something on a piece of paper/card, and then it leaves their house and arrives at yours... maybe i'm not explaining it right, but the simplest ideas amaze me the most. Anyway, I have been frequenting the card section in stores lately, and have been picking up cards that are too cute to pass up or remind me of someone in particular. Hopefully it puts a smile on their face when they receive it just as easily as it puts one on mine when I send it. 

More daily thoughts to come soon, sorry for the shorter list this time around, my mind is only allowing me think about how I have a stack of cards I need to send off soon, hahaha... 

xoxo-kaila.