Over the last year or two, I’ve been going over my local nursing home to assist with Bingo a couple nights a month. Sometimes, people will ask me why I like doing that month after month. Sometimes they ask if it’s weird to be around “old people”. There are many reasons that I do it with some being less explainable than other, but one of the main reasons I go is because of the lesson everyone teaches me while I’m there.
Every night I go to help out, there’s always a crowd of the patients at the nursing home seated around tables. There’s a bunch of chatter and laughing as the other volunteers and I get the game set up. In some ways, it reminds me of a school lunch where friends are gathered together at tables. The people there always smile at me and say that it’s “nice to see you”. As the game gets rolling, I walk around carrying the prizes of one dollar bills in my hand and helping those with failing sight or hearing play the game. It’s always funny to hear everyone’s reaction to hearing the numbers called. There’s always a murmur about how they “just knew” they chose the wrong card or an excited gasp of delight when they realize they have that number. Sometimes when the caller yells out “B 8,” there’s talk about how it’s similar to the popular drink V8. “You should’ve had a V8,” they say, and someone always replies with, “I had one for breakfast!” It’s hilarious.
Of course, I also love their reactions to when someone proudly calls out, “BINGO!” My main job volunteering is to check their cards and hand them the dollar prize if it’s right. I always walk over there with a smile as they show me exactly where the Bingo is and ask if I see it. I love seeing a good Bingo and handing the precious one dollar bill to the winner. In reality, it’s a dollar. You can’t buy much with it, but you’d think these people won the world seeing their reaction over the dollar. I’ve seen people kiss the dollar bill and exclaim excitedly, “Now I can buy a Christmas present for my granddaughter!” I’ve seen them ask, “Is this really for me?” Their reactions to such a simple gift is heart-warming.
Another aspect I love about volunteering is the conversations I hear or participate in. Many of these people love to talk, and I’ve heard some great stories. I’ve also been asked many questions about me. The most memorable question I was asked before was, “Where do you live?” I proceeded to say the name of the town I live in, but I was asked again, “Butwhere do you live?” Puzzled, I told this person the street I live on. Still, this answer wasn’t satisfying enough. “I don’t know where that is!” the poor person exclaimed, “I haven’t heard of that place here before.” That’s when it hit me: the person was trying to ask me where I “lived” in the nursing home! Trying not to laugh, I explained that I didn’t live at the nursing home and that I only came here to help with Bingo. “Oh!” the person said, “You looked too young to live here and I was going to ask what happened to make you come.”
Recently, I witnessed another heart-touching event: a birthday. When I came in one night, someone said that it was a woman’s birthday and that she was over one hundred. First of all, I had never met a person over a hundred, so I was excited, but what really impacted me was the birthday woman’s reaction. This woman did not realize that it was a birthday, nor did she realize her age. When she heard that it was her birthday, her hands flew to her face. “Oh!” she exclaimed, “It’s...it’s my birthday! I didn’t know. I didn’t know!” She was so shocked and surprised at the fact it was her birthday that it made me want to cry.
So when people ask me why I go help at Bingo, I tell them that I go there because I enjoy it. I enjoy talking with these people who have lived so long and experienced so much in life. I enjoy getting to laugh with these people. They are not "boring" as I've heard some people say. Above all, I enjoy learning from these people. "Learning?" you ask. Yes, learning. When I go to Bingo, I see the joy that these people take in the little things in life. It often makes me think of the little things in life that I sometimes take for granted, and it teaches me to take more joy in the little things that come my way each day. That’s why I go help out at Bingo: it reminds me to find joy in the little things and to give thanks to God for all the blessings that He has given me.
Happy Easter!
~Emily Silverwing
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