In 2020, after businesses shut down due to the COVID19 pandemic, I volunteered full time at a beautiful bookstore run by the Episcopal Cathedral and managed by a well-organized and positive young woman.
Because many people were concerned about contracting the virus, I spent a lot of time volunteering. It helped that I understood the computerized cash register and was able to work a lot.
The supportive manager would tell people that I was their “best volunteer,” and I would shout out, “I am your ONLY volunteer,” because, and I didn’t add this, I was the only person under the age of 100 who wasn’t afraid to come out of my house.
Recently someone who hadn’t talked to me in 20 years asked how my career went, and upon reflection, my career consisted of various volunteer positions since, as someone else once said, “You are as poor as a church mouse. No, church mice are rich in comparison to you.” Money was never consideration when I fell into a job.