I'm a changed woman!

I am a changed woman. 

I mean it! I really am! 

Okay, okay, let me just back up a second and explain to you guys what has happened. At the beginning of this week, I received some bad news. It wasn't anything drastic, it just wasn't something I wanted to hear. For the next couple of days, I wallowed in self pity in bed, whining to my friends via whatsapp (bless them, I don't know how they put up with me!) and watching the Hollyoaks episodes I had missed from the week before. But once I had worked my way through Hollyoaks, I was left with nothing. I'd watched basically everything that appealed to me on Netflix, so where else could I turn? 

BBC iPlayer. 

I love a good documentary, and have blogged about them before. So I was delighted to find more brilliant documentaries on iPlayer, and I sat and watched so many. I watched all three of Professor Green's ones about the hidden homeless, dangerous dogs and suicide. I watched all three episodes of The Big C and Me. I watched the Panorama documentary on the mass shootings in Orlando. I watched a documentary about gang violence in Manchester. I cried endlessly over each and every documentary, always feeling more and more heartbroken after watching them. And once I'd finished watching these (that takes me up to around this time last night), I felt a change inside of me. I wanted to help people. 

Of course, I've donated to charities before. I've given money and my pick n mix pots to homeless people. I've joined in on social media sharing images and using hashtags to raise awareness of certain causes. But now, now I wanted to do more. 

The first thing I did was seek out what I could do to help those involved with and affected by the Orlando shooting. There were several places you could donate to in order to help, so I chose to send my money to the families to go towards medical bills and funeral costs, as I know just how expensive these are in America. I couldn't send anywhere near as much as I wanted to, but I felt a tiny bit better knowing I'd done something to help. 

Next, I researched homeless charities in my town. Homelessness is quite a large issue in my town, and so I was sure I would find something. I did find several charities but one that appealed to me most was one that worked with 13-25 year olds. I can volunteer and be a counsellor, a 'friend', or help out doing activities such as sports, music lessons etc. I decided this was where I wanted to spend a few hours a week giving back to my community. 

Lastly, I looked up animal charities I could help out with. This was far easier, as it is apparently easier to help animals than it is to help people. I found the charity I wanted to be with and have signed up to be a kitten cuddler, a bunny communicator and all sorts of things like that for just an hour or two a week in order to help poor, neglected and abused animals. 

I wish there was more I could do for the world, but I know that this is a good start for me. If you are eager to help out with important issues, I highly recommend getting involved with any local charities! I simply googled "homeless charities" followed by my town name and within seconds I had plenty of options. It's as easy as that. 

The world has been a particularly cruel place in 2016. If I can do small things to make it just a fraction better for some people, I will feel better within myself. 

Love from,

Florence Grace