Today I am moving around like a ninety-year old. My arm aches, my back is hunched but I gotta tell you, it was worth every bump and bruise to get to this point.
Yesterday, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. It's an organization that has interested me for a while now. I remember hearing about them during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and thinking, wow, they really are making a difference in people's lives.
I heard that Habitat for Humanity was putting up a house for a family in need in my area through Starbucks, who was co-sponsoring the event. So I called my local Starbucks, signed up and showed up to the construction site yesterday morning.
About forty people were milling around a table with five big containers of Starbucks coffee (oh yeah!) and I was immediately greeted by fellow volunteers and by the manager organizing the event. I signed a waiver, poured myself a cup of coffee and waited with the group. Aside from the Habitat for Humanity organizers and the construction supervisors, I'm sure I was the oldest volunteer that day. It seemed that the average age was 21 years and most of the volunteers were Starbucks baristas. Now is it just me or has anyone else noticed that Starbucks employees always seem to love their jobs? Well, the baristas certainly brought their enthusiasm to the construction site on Friday.
It turned out that there wasn't just one house being built on the site but four houses. They were in the bare bones, skeleton state of being built. It looked as thought the official construction crews had been pouring the concrete and hammering the walls that same week. Our first job was to put on gloves and pick up all the debris laying about and put it into a long dumpster. That took alot of work but then, there was alot of laughing going on at the same time.
I had volunteered for the cleanup crew so part of my job was to fit into the crawl space under the houses with two other volunteers and clean out any debris that had been left there. My sister, M., didn't believe me at first when I told her this because I am not partial to crawling into dark holes without a flashlight (note to self: next time bring flashlight!). Truth be told, even with a flashlight I thought I'd be a big chicken. But I did it! And I was not attacked by ferocious spiders! Instead, I got to hang out with a young brother/sister team who were so darn sweet. And I reason that after a morning of squats, I do not have to go to the gym at all this weekend. Instead, I'll eat this dark chocolate Easter bunny that somehow has hopped onto my desk...
In the afternoon, I learned how to measure, cut and put up siding on a house. Cool, huh?! One of the best things about volunteering for Habitat for Humanity is that you are taught how to do something and then supervised to make sure that it's done correctly. Putting up siding is easy-schmeezy once you learn how to do it. There were other volunteers up on the roofs of the houses, nailing in shingles and other volunteers inside the houses caulking something (not sure what) and preparing the interior for insulation.
After the day ended, I returned home covered in mud with hair that felt like dusty old doll hair and a big smile on my face. I took a shower, lit some candles, poured myself a glass of wine, and called my mom. What a terrific day!
If you are interested in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in your area, look here.
