From where I sit and as a volunteer who has been one for more than half my life, I believe that when it comes to volunteering we need to be more careful when we say that we are going to volunteer for something or when we commit to doing something.
For believe it or not; when we commit or say that we are going to do something, there are those to whom we have committed and said these words to who will depend on us.
I know that we are all so very busy doing our best to keep our heads above water and I also know that many of us truly want to help others. However, I also know that when we fail to meet our commitments it really makes things difficult for others.
The one thing that we need to pay more attention to is this; we should also learn to appreciate our volunteers more. For their time and their work. We need to be mindful that we should not take our volunteers for granted nor should we expect them to always give freely of their own time.
There is a fine line between expecting our volunteers to give freely and then taking advantage of their time and skills.
My advice for what it is worth is this! Be careful when you commit. Make sure that you have the time to do what you commit to. Do not over commit. Do not expect to always get something for nothing. That is, do not expect that someone will always be in a position to provide their time and skills for nothing. We need to appreciate each other more.
Just my two cents for today.