Oh! How fortunate are the ones, who know the purpose of their lives from the day of their birth. Unluckily, when this privilege was given out as a free gift, I must have not been standing in the right line at that time, most possibly I spaced out contemplating something important or was looking at something that attracted my attention at that very moment.

Such a state of affairs would probably be no burden for me, if not for the fact I decided to choose the line in which they gave out a keen mind. The more we understand, the more we see, the more we feel, the more we start questioning the meaning of our life, and how much it is really worth.

That awareness is something that may lie heavy on our heart. That’s why, I sometimes envy the ones who accept their lives as they are, since their existence comes down to satisfying their basic needs and that’s all, with no regrets, without a desire to reach for something more.

On the one hand, it’s very convenient, since the acceptance of such a particular state of things allows us to find ourselves well in a given reality and even if it’s not really ideal, we preserve a neutral attitude towards our life situation.

While racking my brain and thinking what I could possibly do outside of work, I came out with the most fabulous idea ever. I decided to set up and run my own blog. International interviews, texts which could be read by everyone irrespective of the place they reside. That was it!

However, nothing remains constant, the actions that used to bring me so much joy have no longer been enough for me. All that happened because I noticed that in spite of putting so much effort into my work, it hasn’t brought me much success. Nevertheless, I cannot deny that writing some of my texts brought me some satisfaction or made me smile. Such texts were frequently a wonderful way of clearing my mind and raising my spirit.

Today, sitting and typing steadily, I know that I have become a different person than a girl starting her blog four years ago. No, I don’t really want to say that time has touched me, even though I got a few more lines on my face. I’m a different person, because during all these years I have gone through the ups and downs in my life, which have shaped a new me, maybe a little bit smarter one.

I know what I miss in my life, but at this very stage I am not able to gain it. Thus, I decided that instead of crying alone and gorging myself with tasty, but not too healthy snacks, I prefer to get out and meet people, especially the ones I’d like to get to know better.

Hence the idea of joining a wonderful initiative, which is Fundacja Kobieca Przystań, uniting women who want to make a difference and help others in need. That’s why, I decided to check out whether it would be something for me, knowing that I don’t have much free time which I could devote to this kind of voluntary work. It turned out to be just perfect for me, since I can do something good for others, even though it will be a small participation and I will never be a shock voluntary worker, which doesn’t bother me at all. Surely, meeting so many incredible women with so many passions and talents allowed me to look at myself from a slightly different angle.

When we expect too much from ourselves and at a given stage of our life we are not able to measure up to something, we tend to experience frustration. The inner feeling that we are not good enough, we are of no worth to the world. We should know it’s not true, we’ve got lots to offer, but we need to focus on what we can gain here and now. Sometimes, it turns out that the issues that have preoccupied our minds weren’t really worth a worry, just on the contrary, it may be this kind of a goal which will be within our reach in the future when we become ready for that. That’s why, I’d like to confess something. My name is Natalia and I’m a volunteer.

If you visit this website for the first time…

Natalia Gerlich – an English teacher by profession, a blogger by passion (Passion Piece).

Thanks to carrying out conversations with people of different backgrounds and nationalities, I have become interested in the way they function in their immediate social environments, as well as in how they gain their successes and fulfill their dreams. Besides this I have also become intrigued by the ways in which they deal with difficult situations and traumas. These conversations allowed me to develop an empathy and openness for another person. One day I had a thought that it would be wonderful to help others, especially the ones who cannot cope with some problems and limitations at some stages of their lives. Hence my desire to take part in actions which can help others in making their dreams come true and developing their full potential.

Why did I choose Fundacja Kobieca Przystań? I had a thought it could be the beginning of a great adventure, the adventure which could change not only my life, but also the lives of people around me. It’s also a part of a therapy, which I undergo systematically, the therapy whose aim is to bring what’s good and valuable out of me.

See you around!

Yours,

Passion Piece

Photos by: Edyta Lesiak, logo Fundacja Kobieca Przystań