The Gift of Giving

Having previously written about gratitude and gratefulness, for me this encompasses another passion of mine which is volunteering. Brought up in a household with parents that readily volunteered and donated both their time and money, it was vital for them to teach me the importance of giving back. When so many of us living in this country are blessed enough to have all that we need and often more, I believe it is invaluable to understand that there are others less fortunate who deserve some help. It can be as simple as acknowledging or listening to them, or providing a meal or some clean clothes for them. Extending beyond our fellow humans, we have animals who need our help also, it may be fostering or rehoming, or cleaning up our underwater environment to ensure safer living conditions for marine life. By donating your unwanted clothes and belongings, offering a free service or helping to pickup rubbish in your local community. Volunteering can take so many different forms. There are organisations that can assist if your want to volunteer, or it can be as simple as lending a hand to your elderly neighbour or rescuing injured wildlife and taking it to the local vet. It doesn't have to be hard, expensive or all consuming, but every little bit helps towards making the world we live in a better place. Having volunteered for over 20 years now, I have worked in an array of organisations as well as just using my own initiative. The one thing that blows me away each time however, is the gratification I experience for being given the opportunity to give back. Often I leave feeling that I revived more out of the exchange than the recipient, which further fuels me to give even more! So don't waste any more time, have a think about how you can give back today. You'll likely be surprised as how simple and rewarding volunteering can be!