"We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those whose riches are differently dispersed. "

A few days ago, I was explaining to a family member that traveling is one of my vices. Some people drink beer, go shopping, smoke cigars, or eat greasy hamburgers when life gets them down. Immediate unemployment will direct you to one of your vices instantly. I was lucky enough to act on my greatest vice and travel to Washington D.C., New York City, and Texas to spend quality time with friends and family. While I wanted this to be a trip for me to relax and clear my head after the panic of unemployment was over, it also evolved in to a deeper experience for me.

During my stay in Lubbock, Texas, I had the opportunity to do a bit of volunteer work with my Uncle Tom. This is a true Texan man that is very dear to my heart, as we tend to share the same love for finding an adventure during family vacations. From the moment he picked me up from the airport, he had a volunteer job awaiting us the next day. Backyard Mission is a tiny Lubbock nonprofit that seeks to help those in need by restoring broken windows, doors, floors, etc. in older homes for those that are financially limited. I spent the day caulking windows, watching Uncle Tom and his friend install a busted door, and chatting with a woman whose story helped me gain a new appreciation for my life.

This lady, whose name I will keep private, owned a house that she paid about $15,000 for in 1994. The home was built in the 1940s, the windows were broken, the back door offered no protection to home invaders, the wood in the house was slowly rotting away, and there was no central heating and air in the house. She lived there with her 81 year old husband. Lubbock has extremely hot summers and cold winters that bring snow to the the ground a few times a year. When it snowed in her house, the snow would actually make its way through the cracks in her door and settle on the kitchen floor. If it was really cold out, her and her husband would spend the entire day in the car with the heat on to keep warm. Insects and mosquitos roamed the inside of her house, lingering in the hot air. A few months ago, a group of men broke in to her house after midnight, tied her and her husband to the bed, duct taped their mouths and proceed to take their only lucrative items: a television, a radio, and her son's laptop computer.

We are all aware that poverty exists in our country, but how often do we see it with own eyes? Often We know it exists, but we do not directly have to deal with it or realize that there are people out there living in far wore living conditions than we thought possible. Volunteering will put you face-to-face with the many social and economic problems this country has. It will give you a true appreciation for your cushy lifestyle. Single, young professionals losing jobs in this economic downturn suffer less consequences. We only have to provide for one person and we have education and adaptability to fall back on. For this lady and her husband, there is no education or skill to land a better job, or in this case, to rid her body of the cancer that keeps her out of work entirely.

So, your unemployment situation is a bummer, but be thankful that you are savvy enough to reinvent yourself, find a new career, and start your life over again. For some in this country, that is not physically or economically possible. Be grateful, be thankful, be helpful.