I made up a new word: volunteaming. I’ve decided it means “the state of immediately feeling like part of a team while volunteering.” Read on, and you’ll see why.

My mom and I often laugh about the time she took me to my little hometown’s public library for story hour when I was five or something. While all the other kids gathered around the librarian to hear the tale she was about to tell, I backed away and hid behind a big potted plant. And there I remained. Ever the watcher, it illustrated a through line that began there and continues to this day.

The common misperception about introverts is that we’re shy. Though I suppose that can be the case (given the story above), it’s more about what energizes us. For many of us (including me), alone time is the way we recharge our batteries. I’ve become very familiar with the ins and outs of navigating personal relationships and career with my introversion. It’s something I never had to think about when I was with Ken. Probably because he was the one I spent the most time with, and though I don’t think he was a full-on extrovert, he was way closer to it on the scale than I am. I like to think that some of Ken’s more outgoing traits grafted onto me during our life together and have only strengthened since he died. I’ve learned to embrace putting myself in new situations, which can be a fun challenge.

Since moving to the suburbs in 2021, I’ve mused about ways to build relationships and strengthen ties in my community. I love going to the farmer’s market every Saturday during the summer and exploring the stores and restaurants in uptown. (I’m super excited for it to start up again on Memorial Day Weekend!) In following my town on social media, I saw last fall there was a book sale at the town library, which is situated smack in the middle of uptown. I bought a couple of cookbooks and checked out the library. It was such a great experience I decided to join the “Friends of the Library.”

We had our first book sale of the year this weekend, and I was excited to have my first volunteer experience there. And it was nothing short of incredible from beginning to end. (Keep in mind, I realize I wasn’t working toward world peace, but if everyone read more, wouldn’t that really be a possibility?) The whole team of volunteamers were so welcoming, kind and genuinely happy. It was impossible not to smile and laugh the whole time as we rang up sales and talked with the patrons.

I was stationed by the entrance to help bag up books as they were purchased. It was like a flashback to my Blockbuster Video days, where we had to greet every single person who entered. No one got past me without a “Hello!,” “Good Morning,” or “We’ve been waiting for you!” It was such a fun, upbeat atmosphere. And it felt so good to be around people so happy to come to a community center to get some great bargains. Everyone was happy, from the volunteamers to the patrons. I’ll be honest: it felt pretty blissful.

It was an effortlessly fun way to spend three hours on a Saturday morning, helping in a way that is important to me, given my love for reading, writing, and the battle raging in some states over the oppressive notion of book banning. I loved every minute of it, and I’m looking forward to turning the page to see what comes next!

Subscribe by entering your email below for weekly content delivered to your inbox! (No spam. Never spam.)