Saturday, May 7, 2022

On Not Asking For Volunteers

You know, apart from the "asking for volunteers" part, I actually like being the Building Cleaning Coordinator. There's something therapeutic about cleaning. I enjoy pushing and pulling the vacuums around, finding the bits of dirt and debris that were left behind, and hearing the satisfying clatter as the debris is sucked up the hose. It's even kinda fun. Even cleaning the bathrooms is fine, wiping down the surfaces and making them shine. It's nice. It's simple. It's easy. And it's pleasant.

The only unpleasant part is asking for help, picking people to ask, making phone calls and emails, feeling like I'm pressuring people (just as I have felt obligated to help others when they've asked me), and telling them what to do if/when they come.And frankly, I can just not do that. I can take care of the building cleaning myself, with perhaps some help from people who genuinely want to help. And if they'd rather not help most of the time, that's fine. That leaves more therapeutic cleaning for me. Granted, it takes a while, but that's fine, too. I've got a decent amount of time on Saturdays now that I'm not working Saturdays anymore. I can happily spend most of the day cleaning the church.

Is this the way Building Cleaning Coordinating is supposed to work? No. But this is the way that works best for me. This is my calling, and I'm going to do it my way, with as little asking for volunteers as possible.

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