Green Bottle Caps

I love my volunteer job! However, I have been struggling with it because I feel... well... less than necessary. I know they appreciate what I do, but they don't always have anything FOR me to do. They are a) nearly all men b) not accustomed to volunteers and c) nearly all men! The "being men" part leads to the blank eyed stare when faced with someone wanting to "help." (Think toy assembly, getting lost, etc. LOL!)

There is one man (CV)that realizes that there is potential in having a volunteer and more and more often he has things for me to do. A few weeks ago he was out of the office and actually "called in" a job for me.

Last week, I walked into his office. I spotted a case of water in the corner of the office. I embarrassingly blurted out to him, "YOU HAVE GREEN WATER BOTTLE CAPS! Please save those for me!" I silently cursed the lack of hard wiring from my brain to my mouth! CV certainly has more important things to think about then saving those silly green bottle caps! I hoped and hoped that he wouldn't remember.

This week when I said hello, CV jumped up and said, "There you are! I've been waiting for you. I have this, and this for you to do and Oh, on the shelf." I looked on the shelf, expecting to see a pile of papers, and found 10 green bottle caps! When I thanked him, his simple response was "We help each other."

It's the silly things that validate a person. They make one feel needed, necessary and important. Like many others, I don't require compliments, pats on the back or flowery words of praise. For me, the silly little, off-handed, often un-thought-of things that people do, like remembering to save a silly lid, affect me far greater.

These ridiculous green bottle caps made me realize that I am indeed a making a difference in this volunteer position. As crazy as it sounds, those green caps made me feel like I belong because I was remembered on Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday, not just Wednesday (the day I volunteer).

Once again, it's my theory, You never know when you will touch someone else's life. I wrote about it here. It also reminds me to be kind and thoughtful to others. I may touch someones life and I certainly want it to be in a positive manner.

Shop With a Cop

I know it's a bit late to talk about this but....I want a record of it so here goes.

In December I volunteered with the Shop with a Cop program. I was surprised that so many
policing agencies participated.




I was paired with a little girl......




....and a guy from Border Patrol. Both were soooo shy!





Of course our local police were represented. This guy is a "new guy." He graduated about 2 months ago. I helped out with the "scenarios"portion of their schooling. I'm not saying I was difficult during those scenarios but....he remembered me.





Members of the IndoorFootball Team, The Hammerheads also participated. They were dynamic and added alot of spice to both the shopping and lunch experience.

Ride Aong...with the Parking Control?????

I volunteer with our police department. I was, "loaned out" to help with a project with the Parking Control Department. We never got a chance to work on the project. After the guy picked me up at the police station, on the way to his office, he received a call of a water main break. He looked at me and said "Wanna go see?" Me? Wanting to experience an adventure? Are you kidding me? "Of COURSE I want to go see!"




Luckily, eventually, the heros arrived to turn off the water! Show over!



By the time we got to the Parking Patrol Office (a word I use very lightly here....it's more like a cave), there was no time to work on the project. Mr. Parking Patrol Manager took me on a tour of the cave. There was a room filled with these!





Parking meters in various states of assembly! To be honest, I've never given a parking meter a second thought! But, it seems that they, like everything else in the world, have a home, and someone in charge of them. And when the meters are many, many years old (and like me past their prime) they need repaired. No botox or fancy creams here. Just a lone man, 80 something years old, that repairs the meters. (my"tour guide" told me that this man is one of a dying breed. That once he is gone, there is noone here that is able to repair the meters. I told him it reminded me of a watch repairman. He agreed.) No sending them in for updates. These are good old fashioned mechanical objects here. With everything going electronic, I bet in a few years his workbench will be a thing of the past.



Two steps away from the parking meters were the police bikes. Don't know if they were in for repair or this is where they live but I got a picture nonetheless.



It just goes to show that there is adventure in everything. When my girls were little, we used to take our adventure baskets and go look for adventures. I never in a million years thought that a few hours with the Parking Patrol would be this interesting. Or this much adventure! Go figure!