@Lizzie Very nice thread and to read about the involvement of others that are also part of this huge community Airbnb.
Personally I think we are all probably better people or working on that when we serve others or give of our selves/time/monies or whatever we value. Everything these days esp. seems so self motivated/centered..............technology is so amazing BUT pushes that even further off the "all about me" agenda.
My involvement in different areas has changed over the past years. I was a volunteer and massage therapist at Hospice for over 13 yrs. and that certainly changed my world and my life, esp. understanding whats important and seeing people without anything - death and the dying process can sometimes strip a person down and/ or open doors to love, real inner beauty, grace, peace and much more.
As I have retired my therapy work and enjoy working with kids (I was not blessed with my own) so I am now part of an organization where we mentor and help children learn to read. There are so many children that don't have the opportunity to develop their language skills so we help with all the parts that are necessary - so that its not a super struggle for them - I work to have fun, increase their language, vocabulary skills and since kids can be little sponges - it is a thrill to see how they develop. Having lived in a country with a different language - I understand how it feels to NOT understand the words written and how the world can change with that knowledge. When living in Germany before the ability to read and understand I felt very small, not very intelligent and very disconnected while living there... All things I hope to quickly help change for someone else when given the opportunity.
also, we do beach clean ups on Saturday mornings...Pensacola has some of the most wonderful beaches in the world ........we think really nice people just don't litter!