Public Enemy #1

I found him. He looks like this:

This little guy was on the wall just outside my door this afternoon, as if he was just waiting for the chance to buzz inside and start driving me crazy.

It's only March.

I don't even want to know what that means for the mosquito population this summer when it's been warm for a while, but I'm getting the feeling it will be a very..ahem..productive year for them.

Silver lining:

This means it's actually warm enough for the mosquitoes to come out, which means I have hung up all my skirts and brought out the storage container which has been home to my short sleeves and shorts. Let me take a moment to savor that: shorts.

I am so ready for the warm weather. My heat has been turned off for days, I officially purchased patio furniture, and my little plant named Charlie looks much, much happier than he did about a month ago. As I write this, I can hear the sound of crickets and frogs outside, and their songs are a welcome sound after the last few months of cold.

Not welcome, however, is Public Enemy #1.

What the Doctor Ordered

Sometimes, a good day of volunteering is just what I need to get my head back in the game.

On Sunday, I woke up at 4:45 in the morning, stumbled blindly around my house for a while until I got my coffee, and through sleep-deprived, squinty-eyes, I headed out with a couple friends to volunteer at the 7th annual golf event benefiting The Alexander Foundation. We arrived a little before 6:00 am and wiped the morning dew off of the carts, attached the team numbers, and had VIP tickets to the Mosquito Festival that was in full force.

96 golfers came out to have a good time and benefit
The Alexander Foundation!

 

The golfers arrived in flocks a little before 8:00 and other volunteers registered them and sent them to me. I then handed them a free, awesome polo shirt that proudly displays "The Alexander Foundation" on the front. I loved joking with a few of the golfers, but most of all, I loved knowing that I was spending my day doing what I could to help kids with cranio-facial disabilities.

The little boy who inspired the creation of the foundation, Alexander, suffers from Cloverleaf Syndrome (find out more on the Alexander Foundation's website). 

By the time I made it home around 10:00 pm, I was exhausted and felt completely unable to stand up, let alone move around, but I felt more satisfied than I have in a while.

Moral of the story:
Frustrated with an unsatisfying job? Annoyed that you can't find a job? Looking for a way to mix things up a little and do some good in your community? Volunteer! It's an incredible boost of psychological energy, and you can make life a little easier for someone who needs it.

And you could start a mosquito-killing contest. I got 3 in 10 minutes. Take that, mosquitoes!