Selfish volunteering

Who ever thought that one could tire of playing endless rounds of tennis, going for long beach walks, hanging out with iguanas and solving a year's worth of Sudokus? Not me, for one, but the inevitable has happened. I have lived in paradise for over a month and the luxuries and complete lack of stress that accompanies unemployment on a secluded island are now taking their toll. At first I thought that perhaps I should vary my activities, maybe go snorkelling instead of tennis, or stroll main street rather than walk to the iguana sanctuary, but that did not work. Then I thought that cleaning our apartment would be a good and useful activity, but if you know me, then you know how that turned out... Finally I came to the conclusion that a more serious effort is needed in the job-searching department, as I don't think I am cut out to be a housewife. So every week I await the Friday classifieds like a kid waiting for the Sears Christmas Catalogue. I rush out with my $0.50 to the nearest gas station and rush home in anticipation of an ad with the heading "Natalie's Perfect Job." Surprisingly I have yet to find it, instead I flip through page after page of Senior Trust Manager Wanted and Seeking Caymanian Surgeons. It appears that everyone here has got a high level of education, but I wonder who is educating these people, because I have not heard back from a single school looking for a teacher! So, in order to curb the impending boredom while I search and wait for employment, I made the decision to volunteer. Now I realize that most volunteers volunteer selflessly, and to help out. This makes me feel only slightly guilty that I am volunteering for me, for my benefit and for my sanity. In order to be a selfish volunteer, I figured I should stay away from causes that are human related, or ones that would see right through my "good intentions." Instead I have been volunteering at the local Humane Society, as a dog walker and cat cuddler. The animals don't seem to notice that I am doing this more for me than for them! Then Karma took over. Somehow the tables got turned, and I am now being used by the Humane Society as their personal vacation destination for animals with kennel cough, cat flu and those needing to be "tamed." So Wednesday saw Blake and I bringing home our first foster kitten, Isabella. She has the cat flu and needs medicine twice daily. She will be with us for a week or so, until she is in an adoptable state, and then it will be on to the next sad case. Needless to say, I am now so busy taming and training this feral kitty, that I am dreaming of some time alone when I don't need to worry if she is tearing up the pleather sofa or drowning in the toilet bowl so that I can take a nice peaceful walk on the beach, or play a good round of tennis.