Volunteer Project

I love my volunteer work. It is my strictly personal investment in my belief that we really can make the world a better place. Does it get more personal than volunteering my time? Put your actions where your mouth is.

I have been seeing advertising signs for "The Blues and Heritage Festival" in Cairo, Illinois as I have rolled around the river confluence region this past week. Nothing fancy. Just quiet little signs that don't stand out for the average carbarian. Where are the flashing neon and eye catching colors? The day before yesterday, I found a photocopied, zero graphics flier looking for help in cleaning up "Historic Highway 51" in preparation for the festival. Highway 51 is the main street which runs through the even more historic town of Cairo (pronounced "kay-row" locally). All that history doesn't save Cairo from being one of the saddest towns I have even known. Its magnificient history lies in neglected, undernourished shambles atop the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and in the heart of the river confluence region.

Yesterday I followed the leads on the flier while I was on my way to lunch. I never did make it to lunch. When I found the originator of the flier at the only car dealership in Cairo, he threw me his last volunteer T-shirt, directions and tools quicker than I could say, "I'm hungry." Before I could process the evolution, I was out on Highway 51, scraping accumulated litter and weeds off the curbs and sidewalks in the heat of the afternoon with one other man. It didn't take long before I felt the labor. How did I get so out of shape? I was huffing hard enough that my co-worker spotted it and looked relieved when I told him I was going to knock off for the day and start tomorrow in a more prepared state. Street labor is best started in the cool of the morning, anyway.

I am pleased that my muscles are not too sore this morning. Means I called it in time yesterday. It has been a long time since I have had a scheduled event to start my day. It feels good, in between the anxiety attacks I experience with every shift in dynamics.

I guess the 3rd annual Cairo Heritage Blues and Gospel festival is going to be my next volunteer project.

Of course I got a call from Hubs immediately after I got back to camp. He was ready to move ahead with the farm project we abandoned just before I began this sojourn in March. And we go round and round and round in the circle game. I listened to his suddenly blooming plans and schemes as patiently as I could through warring emotions. This time my patience paid off and I got to talk about my not-working-housewife day. He resisted guilt-tripping me for not being ready to jump when he was ready to find time in his eternally busy schedule. So far.

Hubs, YS and the GK's are at the farm this weekend, meeting with a potential bidder on ??? something or other. I am on my way to Cairo for more clean-up. We see what grows.