How Full is Your Cup?

Have you ever been sitting in a meeting and one of the attendees indignantly complains about an issue saying, “Someone should do something about this” but when asked if they could help with the problem, they have 101 excuses why they can’t? Fortunately for the rest of us, there are a number of people who are willing to step up. I have met so many great volunteers.

I have a philosophy of life and it goes like this: When we are born, we have a symbolic vessel, a cup if you will, that we carry with us. It starts out half full. As we do good in life, the first time we make our mother smile or share a toy with a sibling, life grains pour into the cup. When we tell a lie or use words that hurt, life grains float out like dandelion seeds on the wind and the cup empties a bit. We go through life making decisions, choosing who we want to be, the cup ebbing and flowing as we do. Each kind act adds to the cup. Each thoughtless act depletes it. The goal at the end of our lives, at minimum, is for the cup to be half full again, meaning we gave as much as we took. Of course, it is better if the cup is completely full.

What if, though, the cup overflowed into a new one, and into another and another – so many cups all around with life grains spilling about? If this happened, I believe the person would be greatly remembered for their life well-lived and for their contributions toward others. And woe to the person whose cup is empty. Haven’t we all known people from both ends of this spectrum?

I fell in love with volunteers when I began my career in education at the Los Angeles Zoo. I was so impressed by the sheer volume, hundreds of volunteers at any given time, all working for a cause greater than themselves. From the docents and student volunteers who tour and share their knowledge with children and adults to research volunteers who observe animal behavior to animal care and food preparation volunteers working directly for the animals and event and office volunteers who help everything run smoothly, the Zoo volunteers do it all. They don’t get paid for any of it but that is not why they are there. They do it because it makes the world a better place and they get to play a small part in that success. I learned so much working by their sides.

When I left the Zoo, I was inspired to look around my community and I came to realize that volunteers are literally all around us. They are at every hospital, every library, every school and every event. Groups of them gather every day to greet, serve, mentor, organize, clean-up, and the list goes on. There is no shortage of things that are needed in our community, matched by generous people who can help.

My current job with Assistance League of Flintridge keeps me actively engaged with volunteers all day long. Not only do the members run the Bargain Box Thrift Shop, they quite aptly administer a number of philanthropic programs for students and adults. Their commitment to the foothill community is admirable. I would guess that many of them have life vessels that are spilling over as their kindness clearly shows. They would never brag about it, though; it is not in their nature. Volunteers don’t want the big awards or their pictures in the paper. If fact, they would rather see that attention go to someone more deserving than themself or to promote a program that could benefit someone in need. A mere thank you is good enough for these beautiful souls.

So don’t forget to say it.

Susan Bolan
susanbolan710@gmail.com