MOW

We are called Wheelies from our director which I really hate, but she only e-mails us a few times so I don't have to hear or read it very often. I'm talking about Meals On Wheels!!

Most people don't know that I am a volunteer driver for the Meals On Wheels program. My route is in East Austin. I work the route with my best friend Mark. He is the co-pilot and I'm the driver and we get the food to the people quick!

I don't know how it is in other parts of Austin, but the route I drive is sometimes pretty "interesting." We have this guy on our route that could be a serial killer, or at least he has the Hollywood stereotypical look and he's kind of crazy to talk with. Usually he wants us to sit and talk a long time while he smokes multiple cigarettes, but thankfully we can't because we have food to deliver. Today we had obviously interrupted him with something because he took the food and said, "Bye!" real quick. We joked that he was trying to over up his latest murder victim.

There was another time when we delivered food to a different person who was smoking a cigarette and discarding the butts in a trash can. As if that wasn't dangerous enough there was an oxygen tank sitting right next to the trash can pumping oxygen into this guys nose. We usually leave ASAP so as not to get blown up from the exploding oxygen tank. It says very clearly in multiple places on the oxygen tank NOT to smoke around it or have a fire anywhere near the tank, because it will explode.

However strange and crazy some of the recipients of the MOW program are, they are made up for by the nice folks. There is a nice lady we drop food off too, who is genuinely grateful we stopped by and is always very nice and thanks us over and over. We chat about the weather a bit and maybe some household projects we are all doing and then we have to leave. Our next stop is another lady who is always smiling. She talks while she's smiling, she doesn't walk well but she projects her contentment with life with ease and makes you feel better when you walk away.

I really enjoy the MOW program and the opportunity it gives me to serve. It is sooooo easy to do I can't believe I've never done it before.