Doin' Stuff

I'm unemployed...ok not very light but I'm getting there.

Since I have nothing to do right now but look for jobs, I decided I would start volunteering. I actually wanted my 16 yr old daughter to get a summer job to learn some responsibility...ok and to earn money so I wouldn't have to keep giving her money all summer long. Turns out, though, that there aren't a lot of jobs for 16 yr olds either. So I thought volunteering at the animal shelter not far from us would teach her some responsibility if not earn her any money. I had to be there for the orientation and just felt like I needed to volunteer too. It's been a couple of weeks and I love it. I get to walk dogs and pet cats for a couple of hours a couple days a week. It's also a good way to sneak in some exercise which doesn't hurt at all as I need to lose some weight and feel healthier.
Which also got me thinking. I think everyone on welfare or unemployment should have to volunteer. It is a great way to keep up your self-esteem, make contacts, discover job opportunities you may never have considered, and simply make human connections; so you don't feel so alone, so isolated.
I absolutely love working with all those animals and it's surprising how many people stop me and ask me about the shelter and the animals while I am dog walking. It is so wonderful when an animal gets adopted and I know that animal. I have a little party in my head :)
If you haven't thought about it, this is a great thing to do and they always need more help. It you can't volunteer at an animal shelter for whatever reason, there is always homeless shelters or soup kitchens. The library in your area may even need volunteers for a reading day or something.
I have always been a recluse. I like being at home. I like being by myself. And I still do. But this is satisfying on a whole other level and fits in to the other changes I have been making to my life. Regular exercise, meaning several days a week; keeping a food journal so I can track and manage what I eat and portion control to keep my calories down (this is a huuuuuge pain but it is helping); volunteering; coming up on 2 years smoke free; and next...trying to start my own business (for some reason this is the hardest, scariest thing for me but this week I'm going to give it a shot and start the process of getting it set up).
So, doin' stuff...and doin' stuff...and doin' stuff
keeping it going, smiling a lot, remembering every day to giggle...oooh almost forgot here, started twitter a few weeks ago and my most fave discovery is hellogiggles.com co-founded by one of my fave actresses who is sooo adorable (lol) Zooey Deschanel (her sister Emily is also amazing)
so anyway...yeah... as one blog on hellogiggles.com says:
Point at yourself in the mirror and giggle hysterically every morning...its only roses for the day after that...
Now go chase your rainbow.