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I find it hard to turn down volunteer opportunities. Hubs and I feel truly blessed despite the challenges we’ve faced—infertility, cancer, joblessness, injuries, and financial struggles. We’ve experienced our share of difficulties, like many of us do, but through it all, we’ve been committed to giving back. Whether it’s through our time or resources, we strive to support our community in any way we can.

During the holidays, we shop for angel trees. We participate in walks and fundraisers for cancer and heart disease. We fulfill wish lists for teachers and classrooms, support local animal shelters, and contribute to little free pantries. We donate children’s clothing to Closet of Hope and other organizations, support our local hockey team’s booster club, and I volunteer at the kids’ school.

Lately, it feels like our generosity is being returned in unexpected ways. I’m not talking about material rewards, though sometimes we do get lucky. More often, it seems like things are just starting to go right for us—perhaps our streak of bad luck is finally over.

Returning to my initial confession, I may be overextending myself with volunteering. I’ve joined the PTA and completed the school volunteer training. I’ve signed up to monitor tests (glamorous, I know), planned to chaperone a field trip (though my child’s illness meant I couldn’t), and joined the School Improvement Council, possibly as the Secretary? I’ve also joined the hockey team’s Booster Club and unofficially signed up for several committees.

I truly enjoy giving my time and making donations. I’ve also realized that I might have an issue with free time. After balancing work, school, and personal life for so long, I’ve recently had a bit of a gap where school used to be. Initially, I relished the extra time, but now I feel the need to fill it.

I adore helping out at the school. It’s such a wonderful community, and I love being a part of it. The administrators are incredibly kind, and many know my children by name even though they’ve only been there for a short time. It warms my heart to see them growing up in such a supportive environment, and I want to contribute to making it even better.

But I can’t help but wonder if I’m volunteering too much. Should I leave some opportunities open for others and step in only if there’s still a need? Should I focus on just one role instead of spreading myself across several? My all-or-nothing mentality makes it difficult not to jump on every opportunity. I’m trying to strike a balance—I even emailed Boy2’s teacher to offer my help only if no one else volunteered, which was progress. Thankfully, someone else stepped up, so it all worked out.

Volunteering brings me immense joy and helps others, and I believe it also positively impacts my family.

Featured image from DepositPhotos artist: yupiramos.