Discussion»Questions»Human Behavior» So you're lonely? What are you doing to change things? How about volunteering at an old folk's home/hospital/homeless shelter? Have you?
I'd actually volunteer at an animal shelter instead of a homeless shelter. My skills and knowledge are with animals, and most of the time animals can make someone less lonely.
That's wonderful Jeph! I have a friend who is always volunteering her time,effort and money for some cause. She is especially fond of getting abandoned animals adopted to kind folks so good for you! Goodness knows there are enough animals who have been badly mistreated who could use some loving care. Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday to you! :)
Happy Wednesday to you as well. That's fantastic! Right now as rescuing goes we're sticking to smaller animals, like guinea pigs, rabbits, degu, hamsters etc. But I also work as emergency and critical care vet tech while it does mean working 14 hours a day 3 to 4 days a week, it's all worth it in the end.
I've volunteered at a couple of places before but it never helped with feeling lonely. That's what I got a dog for. Dakota keeps me company when all is said and done. :)
Whatever works for you Red. However when you are focused on helping others you really don't have time to think about yourself. It takes you out of the spotlight and replaces self with "other". Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday! :) There is an afterglow to helping folks. Knowing you made a difference if only temporarily is a really good feeling. :)
Hi, Rosie! Don't get me wrong, helping other people is awesome and I love it. I'll help whenever I can, but using volunteering as a cure for loneliness is like taking a painkiller with a broken arm; it gets rid of the pain temporarily, but the original problem is still there. After a person is done volunteering for the day and goes home, the lonliness is still waiting. Which is where my Dakota comes in for me personally. That's all I meant. For the times when I can't be out helping. :)
There's where I disagree with you Red. After you've spent time with others and helped them you don't just go home as the same person you were. You go home with the memories of your contribution to others and that is very much not being alone. Of course I can't speak for you. We're all wired differently. And there are degrees of loneliness as well. Thank you for your additional comments m'dear! :) I'm all for having a pet. Our cat Tigger has been with us for 12 years. He was a stray who adopted us one lucky day! So we know the joy of having someone(he thinks he is human) who depends on you for everything and gives you much more than you could ever give him! ((hugs))
This post was edited by RosieG at January 25, 2017 11:30 AM MST
That's about the same with Dakota. He pulled me off the street and gave me a home ;)
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at January 25, 2017 11:30 AM MST
I knew there was something special about you m'dear. Your last response nails it! Very cool. Very nice. Very sweet! Your Dakota is lucky to have found you and saved you. You reciprocated! I am a HUGE fan of reciprocity! 'Nuff said! :)
I did volunteer with 'Habitat for Humanity.' I worked one day and was shocked when they said; "we have a special crew with a crane coming next week to put up the roof trusses". I told them I could put the trusses up with one helper. Then I said; "how about the insulation?" No, they had a special crew coming in to do that. Then I asked about putting up the roofing and shingles? No, another special crew! So my opinion of Habitat for Humanity is not good.
As someone who has that kind of skill set I hear you. On the other hand I'm going to assume a lot of that has to do with litigation management and insurance issues. HFH could take a severe financial blow and end up in court if you or the other fell off the rafters while setting up trusses. OSHA has deemed insulation to be hazardous and many jurisdictions have strict safety requirements for installers that HFH might see as too tricky for them to abide by and find it is in their best interest to sub it out than try and follow the safety standards with volunteers. Also roofing trusses and insulation are often things code inspectors find faults with and often for things a lot of people never would notice. It's probably the litigious and bureaucratic culture we live in more than HFH themselves that is no good and the underlying reason for that kind of waste. The legalities are just too sketchy to allow volunteers to handle those things.
I have a friend who did just that and his opinion was the exact opposite of yours. There are other charitable causes that might be a better fit for you bh. Just because you had a bad experience with a specific charity at a specific location shouldn't prevent you from trying again somewhere else. I'm just sayin'! Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday! :)
My wife and I were volunteers at a Health care and Convalescent facility for a number of years, it was nice to help people with entertainment, bingo, cookouts, arts and crafts, read to them,etc.
Excellent TomT. Most excellent. My volunteer work centered mostly around the Loma Linda, California Ronald McDonald House. The couple for whom I worked owned 7 McDonald's restaurants and I was the in-house accountant. They were very instrumental in getting that project built. The office staff volunteered for many fundraisers. The owners volunteered about 25% of our office time for clerical support. So that will always have a soft warm spot in my heart! Thank you for your reply. Giving back is always admirable. Whatever you can do however big or small is going to help someone.
I've volunteered for fund raisers for volunteer Fire Dept. and ambulance services. In the past I volunteered for youth camping and outdoor events. I still would, but single, no children, going on 40 men with long hair and beards, non-traditional employment, who are seen at the local bars somewhat often tend to make parents with young children uncomfortable if they don't know you. I can't say that I blame them honestly or find their raised eyebrows out of line.
That's kinda tough. You can see their point. Ya never know when "the very nice man" is a pedophile grooming a kid for his own perverted purposes. You could volunteer at shelters or food kitchens or old folk's homes. Maybe not as much fun for you because it can be depressing but also very much appreciated and needed. Thank you for your reply Glis and Happy Wednesday. Good for you for volunteering! The couple I used to work for before I retired owned 7 McDonald's restaurants. I was their in-house accountant. They were instrumental in getting the Loma Linda, California Ronald McDonald House built. Our office staff volunteered many hours outside of work for fund raisers. The couple also volunteered our time for clerical support. About 25% of the time we were working on the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House project. Good memories. :)
This post was edited by RosieG at January 25, 2017 11:29 AM MST
Benedict Arnold 