MAGIC WANDS

One of the Facebook groups I follow recently posted the question, “If you could wave a magic wand and fix any problem, what would it be?” Wow, did that get my mind thinking… So many ideas floated through my head — end world hunger, clean our oceans, climate change… How does one choose? But, before the potential overwhelm set in, I realized I already knew my answer.

If you look back at the history of my volunteer efforts, you’d see that most of them revolved around helping shelter pets. That’s my to-go cause because I am simply most passionate about it. I’ve always loved animals and when I visited our local animal shelter to adopt my first pet (as an adult out on my own) things just clicked. But, how does that journey happen for others? How does one cause jump to the top of the list of all the problems that need fixing?

I’ve watched friends throughout the years also discover their top cause. Most have been health-related with those they loved (or themselves) being diagnosed with disease, or experiencing the premature birth of a child. After witnessing (or living through) these struggles, what came out of it was a desire to help others who struggled through the same experience they had.

For my fiancé, his journey started decades ago when he was enlightened to the plight of factory farming and became a dedicated animal activist and decades-long vegetarian then vegan. So, his example revolves around education and awareness.

This makes me wonder if there are other ways a cause can become someone’s single magic wand wish. A love for those in need, life events or awareness of an injustice are what I’ve witnessed, but are there others? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. I’m also curious to know what your wish would be!

I know it’s silly to dream of magic flying in to fix our problems, but perhaps if we believed in it a little bit more we’d realize that we already have the magic inside ourselves to help make a difference, even without the wand.

The Giving Back Society | Building Compassion Through Volunteerism