November Shelter Duty 2007

Last night's walk to shelter duty, was a bit breezy. I had accomplished all I could for the trip and only needed to finish packing today. All the preliminaries were complete. There was a sense of necessity in choosing this night because I was doing something the next day that others aren't in the position of doing. On the plus side, I figured that since I rarely get any sleep on volunteer nights, it tire me out for the next day and would allow me to get some sleep on the flight, barring a heavy snorer in my direct vicinity. I stopped off first at Starbucks and chose an Egg Nog Latte - skim please! Now, I loves me my egg nog, and the latte was good, but nothing beats the real McCoy. I was going to be the lone volunteer, and hopefully, the flow of the night would be in my control. It looked like we'd all be fine.

I retrieved the keys, entered, and was confronted with a shit hole. The previous night's volunteers didn't clean up properly. Beds were askew, no pillowcases to be found, crumbs all over the kitchen table, and no milk. A real shit hole. Now, I entered panic mode. The drop-off bus hasn't followed a smooth schedule yet and could have arrived at anytime. So, I ran around like a lunatic cleaning and primping the place. I have to admit, that out of this chaos, there was something peaceful about being alone and accomplishing things by myself. Things then became orderly, and then some. The water for coffee and tea heated up, milk purchased, towels would have to take the place of pillowcases; I even had time to make my own bed before the guests arrived.

I get upset when the shelter lacks the amenities that we normally provide. I don't see it as a reflection on me or the shelter, but a reflection on how the guests think we see them. However, last night they couldn't have been more friendly or understanding about the lack of supplies. All went to plan, except one gentleman who reminded me a few times that the cookie situation wasn't up to snuff. Whatever. I got to chat with a few people and really dish. I feel awkward sometimes, because of the Mary and Martha's of life, I can feel like such a Martha. I like to work in the background getting things done, and that can at times, make me appear stiff and unfriendly.

After lights out, the room was unusually quiet, which did not, unfortunately, interrupt the racing thoughts in my head of all the things I would need to accomplish the next day. Minor things, that sit with a person and dig and annoy one to no end. Naturally, I failed to have a fit sleep, which didn't surprise me, but the next morning went smoothly. I was able to leave just moments after the bus arrived for our guests. I had done most of the cleaning up while they were getting ready. It was nice, to have things under control.