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"A balanced life is the centered intersection of your values, time, and action. That's where integrity resides." Don Blohowiak

I decided as one of my New Year's resolutions, I'd do more volunteer work this year. My first gig: I was a judge for a writing contest at Madison.

I love to write, hence the reason why I volunteered to judge the writing contest. Patients submit poetry and short stories for our local Creative Arts Festival. There's a performing arts section, too, that's really good. The winners get to have their work/performances submitted to the National Creative Arts Festival.

I dawdled with the task at hand, but I finally sat down recently and read my entire book of submissions. Some were good, some were okay and only one or two was really not my cup of tea. Although, some of my counterparts said I rate too easy, I don't think I do. I like stories, poetry and other work that take me away.

Two pieces transported me to places I could see in my mind. One poem talked about the author going back and dancing with a woman, from the perspective of a guy in a wheelchair. I could almost hear the music, see the low lights and smell the perfume in the air. I also wondered which of my patients might have written this poem.

The other was a story, of love, disappointment, joy and unbridled happiness, woven into a story of birth. The center of the story was a curtain, sometimes open and sometimes pulled to protect her. In the  end, the author knew she wasn't alone, if she dared open the curtain up. It had a picture in the ending that was happy and bright, without being saccharine.

Hope you enjoy your next volunteer experience as much as I did!