I have been playing with the idea for a couple of months. I am not a very sociable person, I am not brave, nor extremely generous. My job involves spending long hours in front of the computer. Always connected to the world, but still, so disconnected. I have amazing friends and wonderful parents that have thought me to be polite, to help the people around me and not to get into trouble. I am an average good person, I occasionally give money to the poor and I try to be there for my friends to best of my abilities. But always in an average selfish way, being very careful not to disturb my quiet, pleasant life too much.
I have never seen my self as a volunteer, I have never considered that I have what it takes to just reach out there, into the world, giving up some of my perfectly predictable and easy days for others. And still, here I am, holding my Red Cross member card and feeling surprisingly enthusiastic about what is to come next.
Two months ago I joined an Aikido Dojo. It was the first thing that I did just following my dreams and my heart. No one I knew was doing martial arts. None of my friends. Now I know 10 amazing people that love the same thing that I do, and my best friend just joined the team. The only regret I have is that I haven't started this earlier.
This morning I prepared the documents I needed, put on my headphones and with music in my years I started my trip to the Red Cross office in my town. I always listen to music when I have a long road ahead. Have you noticed how it transforms everything? Like a pair of pink glasses, making people that you usually see walking with sad faces and leaned backs seem all of a sudden to walk happily in the rithm of any song you might listen.
After more then 30 minutes of walking in the sun and almost 0,5 liters of water I got to my destination. In front of the office there were 10, maybe 20 young people waiting for something. When I got in, I realized they were waiting to take the "First aid" exams. In a dark and cool room, two young women and a young man were trying to revive three dummies.
If there is one question that comes certainly into your mind when thinking about becoming a volunteer that is: Am I not too old for that? Seeing all those, well, children for me, over there made me hesitate again for a second. Then a volunteer came and led me to an office where I just left the papers, payed the annual fee and got my volunteer card. And that was all. 5 minutes and I was a volunteer. Not so glamorous or complicated as I thought.
But most of the big changes start small. For now, my volunteer card sits quietly on my desk as a symbol of a day well spent. Today I joined the Red Cross. No one I know is a Red Cross volunteer. But I am thrilled to have started this journey and I'm looking forward to see what other wonderful first steps will bring to my door.
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