Listening to the (l)lama, and

The Dalai Lama will be speaking in Portland, Oregon today at 9:30 PST  (If you want to hear him, go here.  If it's well past time, I think it will be on YouTube...)  In honor of his arrival, may I present 

Dolly Llama

(Running from room, laughing hysterically at my terrible pun.)

In other news, I actually decided AGAINST joining another volunteer group.  I would like to help the fire department, who, it so happens, saved my life, once upon a time.  I was at an open house, and they had a flyer...

"Citizen volunteers helping with emotional first aid to victims of tragedy, and in an effort to help... County Emergency Responders."  They supply training, and you help after incidents, i.e. fire, death, auto crashes, or medical emergency.  I did seriously consider this.  I could help, especially the been there, done that, sort of help, that might really show that things don't always end badly.

But then I considered.  It took me a long time to get over nightmares of my wreck.  If I see something that reminds me of it, sometimes I won't be able to sleep, or conversely, Husband might have to wake me as I am crying out in my sleep.

I tend to wake slowly... So if 'the call for help' came at, oh, say, 3 am, and I wasn't awake...  I would be a walking zombie for a bit before I could do anything for anyone else. Somehow, if someone is pouring out emotion and pain, my bleary eyed yawn could do much more damage than good.

And it's not just the victims.  The flyer mentions the Emergency Responders.  I already know about that.  I have talked to a few of the deputies about incidents.  While I won't go into detail, they have stresses, that they just can't share with all and everyone.  I have had just a minor taste of that, but I don't know if I would be able to deal with it, and keep my distance and composure.  Even with training, I don't know that this would be one of my skills...

So, after all this mind mumble, I came to the conclusion, wow... I don't think that this is the job for me.  I hope desperately that there are those that would take the call... But not me.

It was an odd realization to think that while I am willing, it's not the right thing for me to do.  Score one for epiphany, I guess...