I'm approximately at the half-way point of my year in Mercy Volunteer Corps, and I think the most important lesson of my experience is just starting to sink in.
I am extremely independent and I really like having control. In college, this meant that I could do what I wanted to do: get good grades, raise money and awareness for the things I care about, spend time with friends, whatever.
But this year, I have to put my inclination to control aside. After all, I'm only at Good Samaritan Clinic for year. So while I can give my all to my patients and my work in general, it is not my role to control the clinic's future. Besides, in six more months, I'll be moving on and will just be a speck in the clinic's memory.
This is not easy. Right now, I feel anxious and stressed about some things going on at the clinic at the administrative level that I don't agree with. And I have the type of personality that wants to fix things instead of leaving them at the mercy of others.
So, a warning to others who are leaning towards doing a year or two of service after graduation: you aren't going to change the world, or even the organization that you serve. But there's a type of liberation in understanding that. For me at least, it frees me to give all I can to the people I serve without having to come up with the answer to fix a small non-profit.
LIKE!!
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