Give A Little

Today I spent three hours in Barnes & Noble.  This is normal, so don't worry about me yet.  I grabbed a cup of joe and sat on the floor (eww, I know, I washed my jeans when I got home) and read a book from cover to cover.  I usually hit up the book store with the Hubs for our "date nights"- cheesy, right?  But it's a cheap date because we typically only buy coffee then end up reading at a table together.  We're odd.  I get it.

This is the book I read-

I stumbled upon it because it was next to the craft section.  The book is pretty big in size, and the word "NonProfit" stuck out to me.  I stared at it for about 30 seconds before picking it up.  Why, you ask?  Because I have committment issues and don't like starting a book if I'm not going to finish the dern thing.  Secondly, because I knew this was gonna be a knee-jerker kinda book for me.

Since the purpose of this entire blog is for me to better myself and help out others around me, I made a point to finish this book.  It was amazing.  These people are totally average in every way and have done extraordinary things with their lives.  They come from all walks of life and have one goal- to better the world aroud themselves.  I even read about a cat from my home state who rocks it by teaching people in underserved countries how to tap into clean water (Water to Wine)- he saves lives by digging holes, for crying out loud!  I was floored, and yeah, teared up a few times (then suspiciously looked around to make sure no one saw my water works). 

What did I get outta this book?  I need to get off my arse and get to doing something, but I haven't got the slightest clue on how to get started.  There isn't a reason in the world right now that I have to keep putting this off- I have plenty of time on my hands, the extra funds, and quite a few assets that can be put to good use. 

My goal is to do something with kids- hey, I'm a pediatric nurse, it's what I do (grown ups scare the hell outta me- I'm way too goofy for anyone other than kids to take me serious)!  I also wanna help out stateside.  It's not that I'm against going overseas, it's just that I have a soft spot in my heart for kids who are born into a country of freedom, yet have nothing.  My goal is something in the rural, more underserved parts of the country.

After googling for hours I found a great webpage that has a solid list of nonprofit organizations where nurses can volunteer- One Nurse At A Time.  I haven't decided on which I want to apply for yet, but will do so after I find one that really gets to me.


Have any of ya'll ever volunteered, either medical or not?  Did you go overseas or stay stateside?  What were your thoughts about life after returning?

Hopefully by next week

Thanks again, see y'all 'round!
~Jacq.