Sometimes we get tend to caught up in the little things in life. We stress about what to wear, we let the person who stole our parking spot ruin our day, or we curse the people who stand on the left side of the escalator instead of on the right. While it is extremely easy to get caught up in life’s everyday stresses and frustrations, every once in a while something or some event puts our perspective back in order.
Recently something happened in my life that slapped my perspective right back into place. When I began to sit back and reflect on my life, I was reminded that life is short and while we can’t control everything it throws at us, we can do everything we can to make the most of the time we do have here. Don’t worry I’m not going to get all philosophical on you, but we do need to think from time to time about what we can do to make our lives more fulfilling and of course, safer.
Let’s tackle the first one: fulfilling. No, I’m not talking about running out and buying yourself more shoes or a better car. I’m talking about volunteering. Since it’s still the beginning of the year, why not add volunteering to your list of New Year’s resolutions? Volunteering is a great way to get more involved in your community, to get to know the people, and to simply help out those in need. If you have never volunteered before or are nervous by the thought of it, just remember that you are making a difference and that in the big scheme of things in life, it’s the right thing to do. If you are unsure as to where you can volunteer in your community, check out the website www.volunteermatch.com; it can hook you up with local organizations in your community that need volunteers.
Now on to the second one: safer. Safety is a critical aspect of life; if we aren’t safe, we aren’t really living. There are some everyday things that can make yours and your family’s life safer, like locking your doors, avoiding walking alone at night, and staying alert and tuned into your surroundings. If you are interested in seeing how you can get more involved in creating a safer community, you can start a neighborhood watch group, create posters with safety tips to hang in your community, or call up your local law enforcement and see how you can help out.
Fortunately, volunteering and safety go hand in hand. There are plenty of ways you can volunteer and make your community safer at the same time so there’s no excuse! For more tips on personal safety and volunteering visit www.ncpc.org.
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