Opportunity

I have held 3 professional jobs in my life.  Two of them at law firms (the last of which is where I truly grew up and I have nothing but love for), but my all time favorite job was with a smallish non-profit doing programming work with high school clubs.  In all honesty, I did the Administrative stuff for these groups, supporting the programs by running a smooth ship and keeping the details dealt with.  I loved it.  I got the job because I had left my first law firm and started my graduate program at GWU.  One of my professors was working there and needed an intern.  I volunteered, because what the hell else was I going to do?  3 months later, they asked me stay and hired me on full time.  It was the single most organic method of job creation and it worked so well because it was built entirely based on matching my skills with a need that they had.

Now, I find myself again at the point of wondering what I'm going to do.  I'm still on the board of my MOMS Club and will be until next July.  I'm starting a local chapter of Camp Fire with a dear friend, but that's for the kids.  I'm volunteering at the school, but that's not really for me.  It's just something I feel like we have to do as parents.  So I found myself questioning what I'm going to do for me.  What am I going to do to make my brain tick.

In the vein - do you know that the single most difficult part of being a SAHM is the complete brain boredom?  Taking care of kids is a whole crapload of constant motion, but not much thinking is involved.  They don't require much thought.  In fact, I have over-thought much of this job just because I'm brain-bored.

So that's why I decided to get involved with an organization that is just beginning in our area.  This group of people got together about a year ago and decided to work with a local church to provide a hot meal once a week to the homeless people in community.  They have had huge success, and have found surprising need.  They are now working toward moving away from the church and have incorporated as Our Place - a separate soup kitchen.  They are a few weeks away from submitting for their 501(c)(3) status, they are looking for space and plan to spend the next year renovating.  They envision a space that serves 1-2 meals per day, every day.  Eventually growing into a full-service organization that works to help in all areas that people who are facing homelessness or hardship.  It's a great organization and it perfectly matches my areas of interest.  I am appalled by the class-warfare and find it incredibly sad that such a rich county exists side by side with such extreme need.  I want to help.

I've joined the Grant Writing committee.  I picked this committee because it, first, gives me practical experience in an area that I don't have.  It's good for my resume.  It's networking and skill building.  But, mostly, I joined this particular committee because it's going to stretch my brain.  I've never done grant writing.  I'm excited to do a job that has a deadline and an outcome.  I'm excited by the prospect that my work could produce some of the revenue stream that allows this amazing organization to get off the ground.

I'm mostly excited to have something to do.  Something that isn't dishes or picking up or food prep or child rearing.