Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity brought something unexpected to Steve Plamann’s retirement.
When I retired, I had no shortage of things to do.
I was going to get into better physical shape. (Watch out fellow senior league basketball players!)
I was going to tackle a long list of home improvement projects. (The attic, unfortunately, was not going to clean itself.)
And I was going to do even more fishing and kayaking. (If that was even possible.)
After a 40-plus year career as a journalist, and with our two sons having flown the nest, I was ready for “me time.” I planned to do more things that made me happy.
But my post-work life took an unexpected turn.
While scrolling through my Instagram, I saw that Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County was holding a “Rock the Block” event just a couple miles from my house in Delray Beach. Volunteers would descend upon a block and paint all the houses in a single day.
It seemed like a good cause. I know my way around a paint brush, and I wasn’t doing anything that Saturday morning, so I decided to sign up.
CLICK HERE to learn more about volunteering for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County.
I’m not sure what I expected as I pulled up to Pompey Park, where the volunteers were gathering, but it was not what I saw. This did not look like a group of people about to spend a sweaty day fixing up somebody else’s house. They were smiling, laughing and generally having a good time as they went to work. The homeowners were not only thankful, but downright giddy with joy.
I spent much of the day working alongside a fellow volunteer who introduced himself as Jeffrey. He was a young father who drove all the way from Palm Beach Gardens to volunteer.
He explained that his parents were Jamaican immigrants who got their first home through Habitat when he was a child. “If it wasn’t for that, I doubt I ever would have been able to go to college,” he said.
Jeffrey graduated from the University of Central Florida and now works in public relations. He is under no obligation whatsoever to help Habitat.
“When you’ve been helped, it makes you want to help in return,” he said.
“I hate to spend a Saturday away from my kids. That’s normally my day to be with them,” he said. “But this makes me feel good.”
I was touched by his story. And as I looked around and saw homeowners and volunteers enjoying the camaraderie of the work, I realized that new stories like Jeffrey’s were being created that very day.
That’s when I decided to continue volunteering for Habitat. At my age, I can do more good behind a keyboard than up on a ladder. So I’m helping Habitat’s marketing department.
I also discovered that “me time” is overrated. I feel best about being retired on days I spend on “we time.” When I help Habitat do something positive for the community, I get a feeling of exhilaration and satisfaction that I haven’t found anywhere else.
I came to Habitat to work for a good cause. I’m staying for the joy.
CLICK HERE to learn more about volunteering for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County.
