Yesterday was the first day that I was able to do some volunteering during my retirement, and it felt great. I went to Fort Smith with my church to do flood relief. I really had no idea what we would be doing, but I knew that we would be getting our hands dirty, literally. The first clue about the plans for the day were that we needed to bring a change of clothes, and also soap/shampoo to shower afterwards. Okay, not a big deal because like I said, I expected to get dirty. But when I was asked to sign a medical release, I started questioning my decision to go. Not that I planned to back out, but it sure did put a different perspective on things.
Our day started by meeting at 5:45, and carpooling to Fort Smith. Once we arrived at the command center, we were given the address of the house which we would be working on for the day. We didn’t know what condition the house would be in when we got there, so it was still unknown exactly what we would be doing.
Upon arrival, our team leader assessed the house and determined that we would be ripping out the sheet-rock from floor to ceiling. Even though the water had only gone halfway up the wall, the mold was already spreading passed that. Mold on every wall of a house is not a pleasant sight for anyone to see. And it certainly isn’t fun to see when you are allergic to mold. So I did the only thing I could do and suited up!
The morning was going pretty good, and we were making good progress. However, after our lunch break it didn’t take long to start losing energy. But we powered through it, and were almost able to finish the house that was started the previous day by another crew. I was exhausted at that point, and amazed at how much work it really takes to tear down sheet-rock. They always make it look easy on TV!
Once the cleanup was done, I was looking forward to trying out those mobile showers so that we didn’t have to drive home dirty and smelly! And for those staying multiple days to do cleanup, you can even get your clothes washed at the mobile laundry unit! How cool is that!
After about six hours of tearing off sheet-rock, swinging a hammer, going up and down the ladder, and carrying debris, I didn’t think I would be able to move the next day. But after a good night’s rest, and thanks to my normal training routine, I was able to make it to the gym this morning with almost no soreness from the flood relief activities. That’s an extra win in my book!