Volunteer; a person who volunteers or expresses a willingness to undertake a service. We often think of volunteers as not being paid, such as a volunteer fireman, but that is not always the situation. The employer could ask for volunteers to come to work early or stay late. Those employees that accept the early or late work would still be paid, they are paid volunteers.
Organizations who have unpaid volunteers, have paid employees. So the word volunteer has different meanings to different folks.
I was a volunteer fireman for 12 years. I learned a lot of things during my time with the department. I also saw things that I did not want to see. My family started using seat belts before they were required by state law, due to what I saw at a wreck our department worked.
Now that you have this background information, let us proceed to the reason for this soon to be, should I say, “Informative posting”. But first I need a cup of coffee, I will be right back. I have returned with my coffee in hand. Before anyone asks, yes I have a cookie also, not that it is any of your business.
I just looked at the clock and the grandees will be here soon. Normally on Friday the grandees are here until noon, but they will be here longer today. On holiday weeks their Dad along with the other employees, are asked to arrive earlier each day and to work longer days. They are trying to do 5 days’ work in 4 days.
Let’s see if I can get back to the subject and then stay on subject. I have a condition known as attention deficit disorder. For me, I do not stay focused on a subject as well as others do. As you can see, I have veered off the path to providing you with an informative posting about volunteers.
The grandees are here, I need to take a break and greet them…
I am back and the grandees are settling in. let’s get back to volunteer, and what it means here at the ford Homestead. One more thing before we get into the meat of this subject, I want to ask you to volunteer if you can, it might improve your day.
As I am forced to work out in the extreme heat, it is especially hot in the late afternoons, I have a tendency to notice things that others do not. If others notice these things, they do not comment on them or they do not see them with an evaluating eye. I like that word evaluating, it is better accepted by the reading public than the word critical!
I have a couple photos that I will present to you, and I would like you to evaluate them to determine if one or both would be considered as volunteers. For that one person who can’t or will not evaluate the photos, I will attempt to provide factual information as to whether they have volunteered or not.
In the photo of the sun flower, you should ask yourself, was this flower intentionally planted or did it voluntarily come up there.
In the second photo you should not be concerned with the dog ears, instead concentrate on the two flower pots. Are these flowers volunteers or were they planned. You may click to enhance.
While we are considering the two photos above, I will add an additional photo. This is a selfie taken by yours truly, showing you how I can never get a minute to myself to reflect on the meaning of life, or enjoy an adult beverage.
That is not dirt on my shirt, I had been sweating and it was in the process of drying up from my shirt. What? I don’t look happy! I told you I never get a minute alone to constipate, I mean concentrate.
Back to the flowers, and are they volunteers. I doubt that either were volunteers even though we had not planted them. I assume (yes I know what happens when we ass/u/me) that the birds planted the sun flower. As to the smaller flowers in the pots, there was some dirt in the pots, but not enough that I would think a flower would grow there, and it is possible that the original flower was removed and re-planted elsewhere. The little flowers popped up and I have been watering them. I consider the flowers in the pots as volunteers and the sun flower as not.
May you have time to volunteer, and consider the meaning of life!
Don Ford
No comments:
Post a Comment