So I struggle to do something useful on the weekends. It is no secret that I find work to deplete my creativity, nay humanity, in a slow and torturous manner. I am very grateful to earn a living when so many do without but there is always this feeling that there should be more to life than what I do for many, many hours per week.

Anyway, this long weekend I vowed to finally join a couple of eager beavers at work and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. They build homes for the poor and low income earners through the help of volunteers. The future owners also put in hours to help with the construction.

I showed up in full dork uniform: goggles (for eye protection), boots (because I don’t go to ERs), long, industrial strength gloves that started a fit of giggles among the more experienced volunteers. Damn them! I don’t care what they thought of me, I was going to be safe (and stylish), dammit. I was colour-matched and went in bright and early on Saturday with an extra large tea from my favourite cafe.

Can I just tell you that handiwork is the best?!

Okay, I wasn’t as useful as I could have been and I don’t take too kindly to working shoulder to shoulder with body odor emitting brutes. But I had a blast. I painted an entire living room wall, helped install a fake fireplace, and cut up wood. Everyone took it easy on the newbie, and even understood why I don’t eat at McDonald’s and had to pack a veggie lunch.

Oh, but that’s not all I did this weekend! I finally went to the Blood Center and placed myself on the bone marrow registry. I don’t usually donate blood because they don’t want to have anything to do with anemic me (talk about kicking a gift horse, huh), but I could go on the registry with a simple cheek swab. They are seriously short of potential Black/African donors so if you know of one in your part of the world, try to go on it. You never know whom you may help (or may help you and loved ones).

So those are my good deeds for the weekend. I don’t know if I would do the home building thing again for a little while, much as I found the physical work energizing. It was just too hot and dizzying. Maybe in the fall.