Breaking Out of the Box

Today was the beginning of a wonderfully amazing year for us. We (all of us) committed ourselves to living our lives to the fullest this year and exploring everything that Adventure may bring our way, and we began that journey today.
The girlchildren and I opted to spend our holiday time this morning volunteering in our community to assist with feeding those less fortunate at a brunch that was served by one of the organizations in our area. (I was unsure what the policies were for photographs being taken, so I didn't bring the camera with me to take any pics at the actual site. Sorry! :D )
In spite of the fact that they rang in the New Year and were up until Midnight, the girlchildren were surprisingly easy to wake up this morning. They rolled out of bed with minimal grumbling, ate their breakfast, and were ready to leave when it was time.
A lovely before shot of all of us. Messy hair, sleepy faces, and ready to get to it. (It was too early and I was too tired for makeup. LOL)

When we arrived at our destination, the organizers handed us some aprons and we got right to work. It amazed me how kind everyone was - the other volunteers, the people we were serving, everyone. I was also struck by the honest appreciation that these people had for what we were doing for them. They were thankful and gracious and their smiles were genuine. I think that is something that I miss in my every day life - honesty and gratitude. Not many people truly exhibit those traits these days.
I had a chance to talk to someone that I'm guessing was some kind of 'manager' (he was coordinating the food and making sure that everyone that came thru the door was assisted as soon as the walked in). He said that everyone that actually worked there (the exception being us volunteers) came from a situation not much different from the people they were working to serve, including himself. The kitchen was staffed with men who were either (or had been) homeless, had been released from prison, or were trying to get back to a functioning life after rehab. The men were actually participants of a training program that teaches them a marketable skill so that they can get job training and learn how to work with others in that setting. They go to culinary classes to learn how to cook, and they work in that foodservice setting to learn the ins and outs of a restaurant.
I was pretty impressed by the way that these men responded to having something positive in their lives. The pride in their faces as they brought meals to people that came from a world that these men understood all to well was just such a wonderful thing to behold.
I think that one of the absolute highlights of the morning for me, and there were many, was watching one of the men from the kitchen bring out a plate of sautéed vegetables with sauce for one of the volunteers so that they could have breakfast too. She was a vegetarian (like me :D ) and hadn't had a chance to eat before she came. There were slim pickins for her out of the food that we had been serving (The only vegetable dish that was served was a mixture of split peas and white beans and it was already gone.) so she was just going to opt not to eat anything. When the men in the kitchen found out her situation, they decided to make her a plate of veggies so she could have some breakfast too. It was just the nicest thing, and they were so glad to do it for her. And she was so genuinely happy to have it.
It seemed as though our experience there was over all too soon. Before we were ready for it, it was time for cleaning up and saying goodbye. I do not doubt that it is something that we will be more that happy to repeat in the coming year, and likely for a lifetime.

The girlchildren came home with a sense of accomplishment. They understand that they were a part of something greater than themselves this morning. They understand that there is a calling to help our fellow man, and they are more that willing to do it. It boosted our sense of adventure and I believe it was the perfect way to start the day (and the year). All in all, we experienced adventure in a new way today, and we found it to be good. What more can you ask for?