These next three hours are going to be a blast! I sarcastically joked to myself as I walked into the doors of the Madison Meadows Retirement Home.

For others, community service is a weekly, even daily, ordeal. However, community service was a very new concept for me, until that day. I had always known about community service, but it was new to me in the sense that I had never volunteered before. At first, I was a little nervous, and apprehensive about the day’s activities ahead of me. Anyone could easily tell by my sweaty palms, and if possible, by my increased heart rate.

To my relief the managers of the facility welcomed my service with open arms, and were eager for me to start work. It just so happened that I arrived at the start of breakfast. The managers were kind enough to feed me, with surprisingly good food for a retirement home, after which I socialized with the elderly at various tables.

After breakfast, it was time for work. I had a number of different jobs and activities to perform. Most of which were quite easy, and not strenuous in the least bit.

The jobs that I were asked to complete was to clean their laundry room, vacuum, and deliver certain items to rooms, such as mail, toiletries, and other necessities. In addition, I was asked to socialize with the elderly. This particular activity seemed comparable to pulling teeth. However, in fact, was not. During the duration of one of my “jobs” for the day, we played board games, and Wii bowling for quite a long time.

It is no secret that most teenage boys do not want to spend their Saturday mornings volunteering, especially with the elderly. I myself was one of those individuals. I now have a different opinion on volunteer work because of that experience. Not only does the individual feel excellent for what he/she is doing, but also their service does more than that individual knows. I realized this, as I was leaving the building. After I had served my, at first dreaded, but then appreciated hours at Madison Meadows Retirement Home. When the day was done, I hade a feeling of gratification that now I get every time I volunteer.

In regards to senior citizens, they are very enjoyable individuals to be around. They are especially interesting to converse with. They have a lifetime of stories that they are willing to share. They are a fountain of knowledge. In addition, the elderly are always glad to have company, no matter who it is. In most cases that is. During my time at Madison Meadows I ran across a few quite irritable individuals who wanted nothing to do with anybody.

This experience was a very memorable one. It was memorable for the fact that it opened my eyes to community service, and the joy that it may bring to people. Though I was not excited in the beginning, I warmed up to it in the end. It was a wonderful experience that I look forward to again.