The True Story of My Life #14 (Volunteer Work)

I got to know my new neighbors. Right across the street were 2 single guys who had bought new houses. One was a sales executive and the other was a former physician on disability from cluster headaches. They were a little like the Odd Couple, but both were tidy and neat. The sales guy asked me to move in with him, even when we weren't dating. I told him, "I don't think my Dad would like that." He said who cares, just move in with me, and said I could take care of the house while he was away on business. It was a great house and he was great too! but I wasn't going that direction. He was about 45 or so and I was 23. He paid attention to me after I cut my hair into a chin-length bob. He said, "Now you look like someone I could take to an office party!" I tried to set him up with my roommate who was closer to his age and they hit it off for awhile until she got ticked off. It was probably the ex girlfriend who drove over and stayed the night at his place on the weekends, in full view of our livingroom window, that did it.

He was a crack-up and I invited him to my birthday party down the road and he showed up with his new pick, who ended up becoming his wife. Her nails were manicured and she had a business haircut and seemed like fun.

The other guy was like Woody Allen. He was always getting mad about some small thing or philosophizing about chores, and then he and his neighbor (sales guy) would get into it over property lines. He was Jewish and had Einstein photos in his house and was musical; he also had a lot of computer and a home movie theater with rows of seats. He had oxygen tanks for his clusters and a whole bunch of medication--he got clusters several times a week and we talked shop about headaches.

I introduced myself and invited them over to our house for dinner. It was great! We had a lot of fun, the 6 of us (4 women, 2 men). We were good neighbors after that and had several get togethers and dinners.

I've always known my neighbors and been on good terms, but it was harder to meet more than these guys where I was living. Partly, it was because I was busy with other things. I still commuted to my church in NE Portland for awhile, and visited people over there, and then I was looking for a church near L.O. too. I didn't have a good plan for volunteer work. I think now, I should have kept better records of what I did and where, because I didn't sign up with any organization. I simply started spending money on other people, and doing odd jobs to help people out in the area, for free. Sometimes it was just taking people out for a good dinner, when they couldn't afford to go out. Other times, it was an expensive wedding gift when they were poor. In other cases, I spent a lot of money on the kids, for things for them, and gas expenses. I also did volunteer work that took up my time and labor, such as cleaning and running errands for an elderly couple I found living by themselves in an old farmhouse off of the freeway. I got other people to go along with me and visit them too. I was given a huge paper sack full of rhubarb from their garden in return. I remember walking along the freeway, several miles, holding a big bag of rhubarb and wondering what to do with it. I had said, "Oh yes! I LOVE rhubarb!" and did I ever get rhubarb. I did a lot of things, and gave things away too, like my good tent, and sleeping mummy bag to homeless people, and other stuff. I just went on a volunteer spending spree, for about 2 years.

I figured, I could do volunteer work here and didn't need money, and then it would come back to me and I'd maybe then go overseas. I was doing a few other things in the meantime, which I'll write about in my next post. I'll add some dates to this stuff too.