The Necessary (Caring and Knowing) Stick

And his name was Heide (Hee-day). Some of the adjectives I would use to describe Heide are, efficient, bustling, quick, helpful, and controlling. He is a teacher and an enforcer. Heide is a five foot three inch (roughly), thin, Japanese man who has been volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Destitute and the Dying for the past five years. The first day I volunteered, Heide showed me around and showed me how things were done. The second day I volunteered, he took me out for a quick tea break. We talked about our lives briefly and I felt like I had been accepted into the “crew” because I was making a long-term commitment in relation to some other volunteers. (Three months). I remember coming home in high spirits that day because I felt like I had been accepted into the inner circle of volunteers. I was part of Ocean’s Eleven. I was no ordinary solider; I was a Joe (haven’t seen the movie yet, heard it sucked). Oh how things change.

Since that day, not a day goes by that this intense man has not scolded me for something or another. In response to this, I’ve decided I’m going to make it a game to see if I can go a whole day without admonishment from this tiny titan. To give you an idea of our conversations, here is a typical exchange between Heide and I.

Heide (in accented English): Dan! Dan…(disappointment in his voice but not in his face) No no no no no no. Like this (takes plates I’m washing and shows me his was). You no think Dan.

Me: (Watching what he’s doing) All right Heide. I’ll do that from now on.

Heide: You don’t think Dan. You’re a smart guy, but you don’t think.

Me: (Light-heartedly defending my honor) That’s not true Heide. I haven’t done this much. You’ve been here five years, I’ll do it that way from now on.

Heide: No no no no no. Ahhh (disappointing exhale and bustles away to find the next victim).

It’s not just me that Heide has turned his attention to, no one escapes his omnipotent gaze. Even the nuns and workers are fair game to Heide’s corrections. That said, I think Heide makes Mother T’s work. To quote a Daft Punk song, he’s making us work “harder, better, faster, stronger.” He reminds me of the sports coach that unifies and improves the team, knowingly playing the role of the “mean guy”. Heide’s not mean, but he is not afraid to call you out. I have a lot of respect for someone who can fulfill that role.
I have done some reading on non-profits and one thing that many NPOs have in common are their use of volunteers. Volunteers can sometimes make up a large part of the NPO’s workforce and therefore can be very important to the organization. A challenge of working with a volunteer is that the volunteer cannot be punished, as in the nature of the world “volunteer”. Having efficient volunteers is something that every NPO is interested in. Heide can shout and scold because he too is a volunteer. Every NPO would love to have a volunteer like him.
So tomorrow I’m going to go into work, and I’m going to see if I can work the whole time without Heide’s “Dan, no no no no no” ringing in my ears. But I know that if I do mess up, Heide will tell me. And you know what? As much as I may feel like soaking that small Japanese man with the rest of the laundry I’m doing at that moment, I’m going to be a better volunteer for it.