I, on the other hand, am not so crazy about spending three and half hours outdoors when it’s frigid. I don’t have to spend all my time outside; there are buildings to go into to warm up. But honestly, it’s much more fun to be a volunteer at the zoo when the weather is warm and it’s full of people.
That’s why I volunteered on Mother’s Day. In the morning, my family and I attended a Mother’s Day brunch. We had a wonderful meal and a great time. And since the only seating we could get was at 9:30am (can you still call a meal brunch at that hour?) I had plenty of time to volunteer at the zoo in the afternoon. We had a decent crowd, but unfortunately heavy smoke hung in the air from forest fires burning in the north. More people likely would have turned out at the zoo had it not been so smoky.
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| The Amur Tiger |
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| Red Panda |
The other reason I decided to take a pause in volunteering over the winter was to make time to write. I’m currently working on a three-book time-travel romance series. I managed to finish book 1 and complete about half of book 2 over the winter. Book 1 is currently with my editor. My goal is to finish the whole series by the end of the year, at least to a first draft stage.
But now that’s it’s spring and soon to be summer, I’d like to spend some time outside, doing things that are not writing-related. Aside from spending time at the zoo, I want to play a little golf with friends. I want to plant some flowers and do some gardening. I want to visit relatives in the province next door. I definitely want to spend time with my granddaughter. It’s all about balance. Some work, some play, some giving back.
I have a busy summer planned. We’ll see if I can keep all the balls I’m juggling in the air, or if one (or more) bounce away on me.
Everyone needs balance. How do you get balance in your life?
Sounds like a fun volunteer job! In truth, I don't achieve balance very well--that would require making wise choices, and I haven't learned that very well.
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