I have been toying with the idea of committing myself to a regimen of volunteer service for a few years now. Not only because it is the right thing to do but, because volunteering gives you a sense of gratification and well-being, that really nothing else even comes close to. After awhile of living a decadent and self-indulgent lifestyle, common for most of western society, life's meaning becomes rather hollow and as the external becomes tawdry and redundant- one realizes that selfless service is the only way to feel good about life, yourself, and the world around you.

Granted, I have volunteered for days and weeks at a time on farms or for charity events here and there but, I have been searching for a committed, long-term situation in which, I would be able to create a relationship with and contribute to regularly. I seriously thought about becoming a nun but, couldn't find a cloister with whom I totally agreed with (so many rules!) Nursing crossed my mind but, I have little patience and can be somewhat of a misanthrope at times, disdaining a large portion of the human population for one reason or another.... so I counted that out. I thought about working behind the scenes for a children's foundation after donating my Volvo one year to the Starlight Children's Foundation but..... it didn't make sense to sit in an office on the computer for free when I already spend hours a day getting paid for it and who needs more time on the computer, certainly not I. Thought about committing to a rescue organization for mistreated horses after working in a local barn dedicated to the cause but, again- found the people so annoying and uptight I couldn't see myself putting up with them for long and left feeling sorry for the horses. What to do.... what to do..... I know there is a Mother Theresa in me somewhere.

In my most recent trip to the library, I came home with Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez. What a fantastic book! This is a true story about a hairdresser from Michigan who enrolled in disaster relief training to escape her abusive preacher husband for a couple of weeks and eventually went abroad to help with the relief efforts in Kabul. While there, she describes the war torn situation in and around Kabul, the conditions and characters of the other relief workers, her surroundings in great detail, and the Afghani friends she made. It was such an engaging story that I immediately looked up disaster relief training and what it involves. In doing so, I found exactly what I was looking for!

Disaster relief training teaches you how to respond to tsunamis, earthquakes, wild fires, residential fires, war, bombs, and how to rescue people in danger. It teaches you how to prepare and respond to disasters on a large scale. You can enroll in disaster relief training in a number of different ways. There are schools and organizations across the world which offer the training, often for a fee. However, if you enroll as a volunteer at the American Red Cross in the Disaster Relief department- you can take all of their training for free. That is exactly what I did. I start training this Wednesday. I personally feel that I have found the answer to my prayers and that my search is over. I am really drawn to the elemental nature of this work and the presence of danger and risk are a definite appeal. Plus, I get to help people while working with and around, a huge catastrophe of some kind. It's like super hero training!

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is the authority on disaster relief specialists for the United States and so, I will be working towards a FEMA certification through the American Red Cross. Did you know that if the country was compromised and the government became debilitated, FEMA would run the United States of America until things were back to normal? FEMA is the plan B in the event that the country falls under major duress and all systems go down. FEMA agents, the American Red Cross, and other disaster relief organizations are trained to be first-responders to any disaster on a large or smaller scale. As a volunteer and trainee- you learn how to handle distressed crowds, media, shelter situations, first aid, and survival techniques for a variety of horrible situations. I am so excited!

I hope you will consider disaster relief training and volunteering also. Look up your local Red Cross chapter (an international organization) or another disaster relief organization in your area and try it on for size. If you need more meaning in your life, feel that this kind of training would come in handy, are an adrenaline junkie, or simply want to get that glowing feeling that only comes from selfless service to others- check out disaster relief. With the steady increase of natural disasters worldwide, it may be a skill set that comes in handy sooner than you'd like. And if you are one of those people who'd rather sit on your ass and criticize the Red Cross or U.N. from your couch- what the hell have you done for your fellow man lately? Are you risking your life in Haiti saving people? I didn't think so. What are you doing besides contributing only to your own well being? If the answer is nothing, that is definitely the wrong answer. There are plenty of ways to volunteer and contribute to our greater good. Pick one. Any one will do. It's the thought that counts. There are a lot of beautiful people in the world helping their fellow man or animal kind- join them. It makes a world of difference and if there was ever a time to help the world and the creatures in it- it's definitely now. And if you are volunteering already, bless you! You are making the world a better place and more joyful and liveable for others. Thank-you!!!

I am really looking forward to my service with the American Red Cross as a disaster relief specialist, in fact, I am more excited about the upcoming hours of learning and volunteering than really, anything else in my life at the moment. I am also going to take special training on how to rescue animals in danger. I feel that my search in finding a way to contribute physically on a large scale has finally ended. For me, contributing physically and not just monetarily or via informational cheerleading is a key point. I want to use my hands and my body in my selfless service to the greater good and now, I begin a new path as an angel in training, helping to soothe, save, and relieve the chaos of mass destruction. Bitchin'.