*What If....

You don't have a three-strike rule, do you? I've just been in an asterisking kind of mood lately, I guess. Just be glad you aren't Jeff, right? He can't choose to ignore me as easily. Of course, I just realized why he's been in bed before 10pm every night this week, even on the nights he's home after 8PM. It's the poor guy's way of ignoring the asterisks.

Today's post is nice, really. Just kind of crazy and maybe not your cup of tea. It's not funny stories about my kids or pretty pictures of hikes, at any rate.

I did a little researching of GED programs in the area this afternoon. Turns out, you probably have to read (English) at a 6th grade level to even qualify for one of these programs. My Eritrean buddy can read quite well, just not in English. So there is a program in our area that helps people get up to a 6th grade reading level and THEN helps them test into a GED program. The office manager I spoke to was a helpful, sweet woman who offered an appointment for my friend to take a test to find what he needs. As we tried to find a time, I discovered that the entire organization is staffed by 3 volunteers. Three full time volunteers.

For a few months I've been mulling over what is to me a bit of a radical idea. What if, upon completion of this degree, I don't take a paying job. What if I take a volunteer position? Yes, I would like to remodel my bathroom, but we really are fine. If you don't take into account the loans the government will require me to repay when this is all said and done. But surely they forgive loans if you're working pro bono at a non-profit, right? Anyway, my coordinator at IFW, who I suspect is a volunteer herself or at least paid a pittance, recommended a book to me called The Power of Half. It sounds intriguing. Keeping in mind that the protagonists lived in a million dollar house in Atlanta before they did this, they decided to live on half of their income and give the rest away. I can't imagine us making it on half of what we live on now. Oh wait - that was called grad school. But we didn't have a mortgage and NY taxes and a car payment and a dog then. BUT. If I work for free, that's like half, right? I'd be giving my time away.

Amazing things happen in this world because of volunteers. Shining example: Pam. As if that weren't enough, I have a dear friend who recently graduated from college and is a fellow mom/wife, etc. She volunteers a few days a week at a women's shelter. My wonder friend Tashmica started her own non-profit in Lansing to help Sudanese refugees. Now she works for a Ugandan orphanage, but we all know working for a non-profit is a version of the power of half! Of course there are all the amazing moms who give so much time to their children's schools. The people who work all day and then volunteer as a mentor or tutor or youth leader. And of course I can't forget the volunteer fire department that services my town (I know - all those taxes and we can't afford a fire department? Seriously though, we get so much precipitation around here that fires aren't exactly a menace...). Stay at home moms - are we volunteers? I don't think I can give an objective opinion on that.

A person can get depressed thinking about the greed chronicled in the media. I live in New York. Albany is synonymous with crooked politicians. This person pocketed this much money, this guy screwed this group of people over, etc. Wall Street, mortgage companies, blah blah, blah. I'd much rather be inspired by three people tirelessly working to get the disadvantaged people of Syracuse educated.

Obviously we can't all work for free. Someone's gotta pay the rent/mortgage, buy the food and clothes and all that other stuff. It's essential. I always assumed that when my kids got to be a certain age I would start making actual dollars again to cushion the coffers. Next year, no more bambinos (or in our case, bambinas). Kids in school all day and a Mama with a degree (fingers crossed). It's just fun to think of the possibilities.