An Ideal Path To Mental Health

During the full time work years, my volunteering was sporadic; I suspect this is not unusual. Over the past five years, the commitments I've made to regular volunteering have given me some of my best moments. Which of your volunteering experiences has been the most rewarding?

www.celticcharms.org

If a fortune teller had ever told me I'd someday willingly spend several hours each week around horses, I'd have questioned that person's choice of profession. If that same soothsayer told me many of those hours would involve manure, I'd have demanded a refund. And any prophecy about me enthusiastically embracing this kind of work would have had me checking the prognosticator's meds. Go figure. What was the last circumstance you faced that turned your notions about yourself upside down?

I was introduced to Celtic Charms when a work colleague thought my training skills might be of use to the husband and wife team just starting this new - in 2010 - venture. So far the closest I've come to training is training myself how to not get injured using power tools. But ask me about the joy I get assisting with a lesson, working with this patient and selfless husband and wife, cleaning stalls & pastures(!) My hours there each week - as well as the time I spend at Meals on Wheels - now sustain me nearly as much as my guitar. How can anyone dispute research suggesting volunteering is an ideal way to stay mentally healthy?