I Didn’t Expect This When I Showed Up
I’ll be honest. Most people don’t come to volunteer thinking it’s going to change their day, let alone their perspective.
You show up thinking you’re going to help out for a few hours. Maybe get some fresh air. Do something good for the community.
That’s what I thought too.
One morning, I watched a volunteer day unfold in a way I’ve now seen happen over and over again, but it never gets old. A college student stood a little unsure at first, looking around to figure out where to jump in. Nearby, a young professional had carved out time before a busy week. And just a few steps away, a retired neighbor who knows the history of the park better than anyone picked up a pair of gloves and got to work.
None of them knew each other.
Within minutes, they were working side by side. Talking. Laughing. Sharing stories about where they were in life and how they ended up there that day.
And I remember thinking… this is it.
This is exactly what Debra always talks about. The idea that people who would never cross paths somehow find each other here. Not because of a meeting or an introduction, but because they simply showed up.
There’s something really powerful about that.
No pressure. No expectations. Just people connecting in a real, genuine way while doing something meaningful together.
By the end of the morning, they weren’t strangers anymore. You could see it in the way they talked, the way they worked together, even the way they said goodbye. There was a sense of connection that hadn’t been there just a couple of hours before.
And that’s the part no one tells you about volunteering.
Yes, you’ll help plant something, clean something, build something. You’ll leave knowing you made a difference in the park.
But what stays with you is the unexpected part.
The conversation you didn’t see coming.
The person you never would have met.
The feeling of being part of something that feels a little bigger than yourself.
I’ve seen it happen too many times to count now, and every time, it reminds me why this matters.
So if you’ve been thinking about coming out, this is your sign.
You don’t need to know anyone.
You don’t need experience.
You just need to show up.
Because chances are, you’ll leave with more than you came for.
