Is this really me?
For years I have thought about volunteering at the local fire department. I even met with the volunteer coordinator over five years ago (don't remember exactly when), got the forms to fill out, but never returned them. My reasons for wanting to do so were varied, and really have not changed over time. I saw it as a motivation to get out of the house at night, do something interesting, help people, and be a part of something greater. I never latched onto religion so I missed feeling being part of a community in that respect. I never developed a taste for alcohol so I think I count the number of times I've been in a bar with less than my ten fingers - another communal experience not experienced. Playing poker in some respects makes me part of a group, but not in a healthy way I fear.
Part of the application is listing three references. I decided to ask a former boss of mine to be a reference (she was my supervisor for over six years and we both still work at the same federal agency). As she was filling out her info, she said "I can see you doing this. This is you. It is adventurous." I found her comment surprising, since I never really considered myself an adventure seeker, but I am one that does like trying new things. I have never been and am not now physically fit or strong, so I never participated (willingly) in team sports growing up. I used to play tennis often with family/friends, and do try to jog/work out occasionally to not feel like a complete sloth, but never did anything competitively. I always counted on my high metabolism to keep me skinny, and even in my 40's with it slowing down, you can barely see a stomach bulge on me (and my diet is atrocious).
The more I think about her comment though, it makes sense. I have done some atypical things that most people might never have thought about doing. I have ridden horses for a good number of years (even owned one for over two), indoor skydived, scuba dived, traveled the back country of Ireland on horseback, and backpacked for two weeks on the Appalachian Trail (first time ever really backpacking) with no partner (and at a time of year when there were very few others on the trail). This past September I learned how to ride a motorcycle and immediately bought one, with the vague future idea of taking a month off work and heading in no particular direction.
I am not sure how serious my commitment is to being an EMS/firefighter. The process to become fully vetted and trained to do both ambulance and fire truck runs is quite lengthy. Even after initial training, one night shift (7pm-7am) is required every week, and at least three 2-3 hour Monday evening refresher/update training sessions every two months are also required. I'm still pursuing this though since I have ample free time (no wife, no kids) and for the reasons I mentioned at the start of this post. Hopefully I'll find my niche with this, even if I am a good 20-25 years older than the standard volunteer.
Part of the application is listing three references. I decided to ask a former boss of mine to be a reference (she was my supervisor for over six years and we both still work at the same federal agency). As she was filling out her info, she said "I can see you doing this. This is you. It is adventurous." I found her comment surprising, since I never really considered myself an adventure seeker, but I am one that does like trying new things. I have never been and am not now physically fit or strong, so I never participated (willingly) in team sports growing up. I used to play tennis often with family/friends, and do try to jog/work out occasionally to not feel like a complete sloth, but never did anything competitively. I always counted on my high metabolism to keep me skinny, and even in my 40's with it slowing down, you can barely see a stomach bulge on me (and my diet is atrocious).
The more I think about her comment though, it makes sense. I have done some atypical things that most people might never have thought about doing. I have ridden horses for a good number of years (even owned one for over two), indoor skydived, scuba dived, traveled the back country of Ireland on horseback, and backpacked for two weeks on the Appalachian Trail (first time ever really backpacking) with no partner (and at a time of year when there were very few others on the trail). This past September I learned how to ride a motorcycle and immediately bought one, with the vague future idea of taking a month off work and heading in no particular direction.
I am not sure how serious my commitment is to being an EMS/firefighter. The process to become fully vetted and trained to do both ambulance and fire truck runs is quite lengthy. Even after initial training, one night shift (7pm-7am) is required every week, and at least three 2-3 hour Monday evening refresher/update training sessions every two months are also required. I'm still pursuing this though since I have ample free time (no wife, no kids) and for the reasons I mentioned at the start of this post. Hopefully I'll find my niche with this, even if I am a good 20-25 years older than the standard volunteer.