Post-service reflection

When I first thought of service, I thought of myself. How would I feel when I volunteered? What experiences would I have? What memories would I create? That’s a lot of “I’s” and during my week so far I realized that serving is about the other person. I began thinking, this woman whose husband died- I hope she has the strength to make it and to realize that her health is more important than she is letting it on to be. The man who lives alone, and at 61 is studying to get his general education diploma (GED)- I hope he remains resilient and continues to persevere despite the myriad of medical problems that he was suffering from. The veteran who at 83 calls himself the free spirit- I hope that he continues to use his unique sense of humor as a vehicle for therapy. The young mother, who at 24 had to learn how to handle balancing depression while also raising two young kids both younger than 6- I hope that she continues to remember what an inspiration she is to her kids.

The alternative break experience has reminded that service is more so about who is being served rather than the individual who is acting as the volunteer. I know calling this experience a life-changing event would be clichéd, but I also know that I’ll remember the experiences I captured during this past week for the rest of my life.

Volunteering at Healthy Columbia and being part of the check out station, in which I served as a community health advocate, showed me how a small act can go a long way. I informed a woman that eating candy every 2 hours could lead her sugars to spike to unhealthy levels and result in diabetes. To me, giving this advice it seemed banal and even trivial. However this woman expressed to me that I had altered her perspective on her health and helped her realize how attainable a healthy life style actually is. When a woman whose blood sugar was dangerously elevated at 300 mg/dL, I learned that there is more to a person than her numbers or test results. She broke down in front of me and explained that she stopped taking her diabetes medication after her husband died suddenly. She told me how he was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to his brain and a week later, he passed away in her living room. I learned that this traumatic event is what caused her healthy lifestyle to unravel. When I let her convey her feelings and told her that I wasn't judging her for not taking medication, she felt comfortable opening up to me. She was so brave because she was willing to change despite the overwhelming grief she was experiencing. Even hearing her story and being a listening ear was gratifying because afterwards, she thanked me for listening to her story. Service has taught me that I am helping real people- I am not volunteering for an image or an ideology. This past week taught me that volunteering and community service in general is not a one sided ordeal. I learned more about myself than I could have ever attained during self-reflection.