Helping Out One Day At A Time

So my apologies for the small little gap in my posts; I had one last surgical adjustment to do and now I'm back on track!  I remember how I said that I wanted to go to Portland, Vancouver and Seattle this year as my annual getaway misadventure.  Another idea though popped in my mind: international volunteering efforts. 

These last few silent weeks I've had some time to think about things like work, happiness, challenges, all that good stuff.  My biggest desire?  To find fulfillment.  I'm not talking about instant gratification or limelight or anything like that.  I want that kind of fulfillment that just explodes in my soul, the kind that brings you such inner peace and happiness that you can't help but spread it around like wildfire.  Volunteering abroad would bring me closer to that nirvana that I seek.  Not only would I be helping those less fortunate, but I temporaritly get immersed in their culture, language, way of life; I walk in as one man and walk out as another.

I started to sign up for the Peace Corps last year, only to have to back down for a few personal reasons.  Being part of the Peace Corps is still on my bucket list, but with the help of sites like idealist.org, I've been able to find volunteering opportunities that can fit into my current situation.  I never knew much about short term volunteering projects until this year, and at first I was very wary about these situations.  I tend to be a very long term kind of guy; I like to start things and see them to completion.  However with projects like rebuilding communities or teaching children english or whatever, they're lifelong commitments.  I know that right now I can't dedicate such long term efforts to causes like these, even though I'd love to, so I finally came to terms with the idea of helping out in smaller, short term endeavors.  In the end, anything that we do big or small that helps others, will bring positive energy to this world.

So why am I bringing this up on a bucket list of traveling adventures?  Well because it is a traveling adventure, but it's also a personal journey that I wish to take.  Since this has become a big focus for me, I hope to dedicate more posts about this process as the weeks go by.  I can't wait to share more of this with everyone!

PS - Sorry for the short post, but I will have more information as the end of the month approaches.