‘Helpers’ high’: getting addicted to doing good

After my blasted alarm went off at an ungodly hour, I dragged my carcass to the bathroom to brush my fangs and make the necessary deposits to our plumbing system. Humans aren’t meant to get up this early, I thought, especially recent empty nesters who no longer have to make breakfast for three kids, pack lunches and drive the carpool.

However, I’d made a commitment to our local Rotary Club to be at the breakfast meeting, and I couldn’t let them down.

I arrived in the church parking lot expecting to see a dozen or so cars, but there were only four. After my Navy husband retired from active-duty military service and we bought a house on this small island, we joined the Rotary Club to meet friends and get involved in our new hometown. Back then, the breakfast meetings were so well-attended, we had to share songbooks.

But membership has dwindled.

“Hello, Lisa!” Win exclaimed when I walked in the door as if I’d risen from the dead, a subtle reminder that I’d missed the last few meetings. The meeting commenced, as our local Rotary meetings have for decades, with the Pledge of Allegiance, a corny song from the club songbook and the jokes that our singing inevitably inspires. The men allowed me to fill my plate first, and I heaped it high with fresh fruits, hot quiche from our local market and a bagel slathered in butter and cream cheese, thank you very much.

We made plans for an annual community service project, but when the regular discussion was over, I brought up the elephant that sat conspicuously in our meeting room — our desperate need for new members.

Our Rotary Club is not unique. All service organizations have experienced drastically declining memberships — from 20 to 70 percent — since the 1980s, when volunteerism defined community life. Although service organizations haven’t changed much, Americans have, especially since the Digital Age transformed the way socialize, work, parent and live.

Simply put, modern Americans just don’t have time. Today’s families have 43 percent fewer family dinners than their parents’ generation, they do a significant amount of socializing and networking online and they are more involved in their children’s activities. They aren’t motivated to make time for a Wednesday night Kiwanis Club dinner or a Thursday morning Rotary Club breakfast meeting.

Unfortunately, the decline of volunteerism has left communities without the robust manpower they need for effective fundraising and civic events that benefit the needy, reduce food insecurity, beautify public spaces and help youth.

Despite declining volunteerism, studies show that modern adults still care deeply about their communities, charitable causes and bonding with other humans. Clearly, the survival of community service organizations hinges on whether they can adapt their aging traditions to meet the modern needs, limitations and lifestyles of younger generations.

Additionally, for old and young alike, the mental and physical health benefits from volunteering are undisputed. Carnegie Mellon scientists found that three to four hours of community service per week lowers the risk of hypertension by 40 percent. A study in the Journal of Social Science found that as little as 50 to 100 hours per year of volunteering will offer emotional and social benefits. Other research suggests that in-person civic engagement gives volunteers a “helpers high,” combats loneliness, lowers anxiety and depression, contributes to cardiovascular health, maintains mental acuity, reduces the risk of dementia and helps people live longer.

In a nutshell, doing good is good for everyone.

I left the meeting clutching a paper plateful of leftover fruit and a surprising realization: maybe my alarm clock isn’t my enemy — it simply has terrible bedside manners. Just two hours earlier, I’d been certain that nothing worthwhile happens before daybreak. But I made it through the meeting, fueled by weak coffee, strong opinions and a few people stubborn enough to keep showing up. Turns out, the desire to serve isn’t dying; it’s just waiting for modern society to stop hitting snooze. I understand now that the real wake-up call isn’t my alarm — it’s the reminder that doing good for others might be the best healthy habit we’ve forgotten how to keep.

Read more at themeatandpotatoesoflife.com and in Lisa’s book, “The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com.” Email: meatandpotatoesoflife@gmail.com.