My initial shift as a volunteer occurred ages ago. At least it seems that way; my memory of the event has already grown dim. I do know that when I first entered the building I was fully prepared to encounter my failings.

Once logged on to the computer system, the work was relatively straightforward. The database was structured to present a name and phone number, an introductory script, and a set of questions. The organization had well defined scripts so it was practically impossible to loose my place in the call and all the responses were entered via pre-established drop-downs. There was little to remember. The work was highly routinized, much more so than the work at Gargantua. I made a few flubs and mis-steps to begin, but then settled into the pattern of the routine and found that I enjoyed the work. I left that night feeling elated about my ability to make a contribution.

My next shift was even better. I was learning the details of task performance and finding ways to speed my work. I greatly enjoyed being engaged on the call. The other volunteers commended me on my performance and that was a huge boost to my confidence. Towards the end of the evening, the volunteer coordinator came by and advised that I had achieved the highest call total. That may have been just a statistical fluke as I know there were other volunteers who were equal or better performers. I found I truly enjoyed the repetitive nature of the work. I was happy to find a task which I was able to perform well and I quickly signed up for more shifts.

Another positive aspect of this work is that I was able to hike the five miles downtown each afternoon and hike the five miles back in the evening. Most of this distance carried me along a waterfront trail which obscured all evidence of automobiles, or of the city itself. There were a number of steep hills on the route but I powered up them without breaking stride – the days of painful exertion on the park pathways were now paying big dividends.