“Month 1: Volunteering to walk dogs at an animal shelter
From my journal, April 4, 2022
- Why: I have been thinking about getting a dog and have wanted one all my life….But my family is just not in the right place to adopt a dog. We travel a lot, we have 2 cats, we are so busy… and on and on. So this is a way for me to interact with dogs and to learn what’s required to care for one.
- I signed up to volunteer at Helen Woodward and am planning to attend the orientation on April 9.
- Thoughts: Already with the project kickoff I find myself more open to new things. I tried hoverboarding yesterday! Scary, but fun! I also reached out to Maggie* to check in on her, without trying to find the “ideal” way to reach out. I waste a lot of time and energy on questioning my own instincts, trying to gather all the information, when really I can just acknowledge my weaknesses and move forward with what I have. So, there is a mindset shift beginning already.”
It was an auspicious beginning, until the logistics brought it crashing down to reality. When I attended the Helen Woodward volunteer orientation, I was impressed by the scale and impact of their operations. I was also shocked by the number of people (like over 50 new applicants) and the 6-8 week timeline for the volunteer application and interview process. Of course, it makes sense- after all, they’re running a business- but it threw a wrench into my month-to-month plans. Nevertheless, I submitted an application and eventually got an interview for the Adoptions department, with a start date ~2 months later. It just wasn’t the big exciting start that I had been envisioning. Then… when my start date finally came at the beginning of summer, I actually had COVID so I had to delay my start even more. It was a slow and bumpy start, and it would take a few more months before I hit my stride, which was an important lesson in itself.
*name changed for privacy
