A stranger's back seat, dose 2 of the Covid vaccine, and me
I once slept in the back of a car that belonged to a stranger.
The “stranger” was our newest volunteer chairperson, and it was my first event working as a “Fundraising Executive”. If you have met me in person you know I am not very tall, (5'3) but it was still very uncomfortable being folded up like that for hours! My legs would ache the next day.
As one of the event leads, I stayed “on site” for the duration of the 24 hour OUTDOOR event that included 24 hours of live music, nonstop walking, games and more. These events raise between $100,000 to almost $1million and a good chunk of the donations come from every day people like you and me.
On-site did not mean working for 24 hours straight- when we had a break we would take turns napping in nearby vehicles that belonged to committee members!
And our VERY technical "reservation" system? A whiteboard in our "headquarters" (aka the old water shed in northfield) that had notes of where to rest like:
“the backseat of Jan’s van is open- row 5, space 5, down by the football field. Bring a blanket”
or
“the front seat and passenger seat of Keisha’s truck is open- no teenagers! blankets and pillows are there and I put some sandwiches on the backseat”
or
"Mama Alice took the sheets blankets from the kids tent to wash and will bring them back before waffles at 6."
Oh, but if you have worked for a nonprofit you know first hand:
Staying “on site” can mean so many other things.
It can mean awesome things like:
Serving a cancer patient her first slice of cake after 12 months of chemotherapy
It can mean:
Walking a lap on the track with our youngest cancer survivor: He was 2 (he is 20 now!)
It can even mean listening to the song“Cotton Eyed Joe” on repeat for close to an hour while the DJ raised another $1,000 (he would choose the most obnoxious song to play and people would pay for him to stop!)
As you can imagine:
after these marathon events ended, staff took several days to recover. I remember the next morning not even being able to stand up because my entire body ached!
To tell you JUST how exhausted we all were, (aside from our required post-event reporting and work) we would not even book our wrap-up meeting until at least TWO WEEKS after the event to give everyone a chance to fully recover.
But the body aches?
The fatigue?
The exhaustion?
As strange as it sounds, it was a GOOD exhaustion.
The kind of ache and exhaustion you can only feel after giving your ALL (for free!) for someone else, sometimes someone you will NEVER meet.
You often feel this type of exhaustion after carrying boxes at a food bank, equipment for a football game, cases of water for Booster club or boxes of T-shirts for an event.
You feel tired, right?
But somehow, you also feel GOOD.
Fulfilled.
Happy to have the opportunity to serve others.
So as I entered day 3 after having my 2nd Covid vaccine and I felt that familiar ache in my body- one I had not felt in more than a year- I realized:
This is also a GOOD ache.
Is it comfortable?
No.
But, is it bearable?
Yes.
I see this ache in the way I saw the ache I would feel every year at the end of our fundraising event season:
the "ache" was proof
of a job well done.
This ache means the prayer for a vaccine I prayed a year ago on the floor of my bedroom after my mother was diagnosed with Covid-19 was answered!
Last year our Mother’s Day visit was with me in the parking lot and her on her balcony. It was the first Mother’s Day I didn't get to hug her in 46 years!
And now? I am fully vaccinated and can visit (and hug!) my mother. This is mama and my son before he moved.
If you are worried about having symptoms after having your vaccine, just remember the last time you were physically exhausted after doing something good (walking a 5K, cleaning your home top to bottom, volunteering, etc.)
and then: hydrate, take Tylenol and find a show to binge watch for the weekend (I watched The Circle)!
And: THANK YOU
The world is better because of thoughtful people like you.