Forgive me, a sinner. I just need to vent.😔 I love my church and everybody in it deeply. It's the most wonderful group of people I've ever known. And today's church picnic was very frustrating for me. For weeks. WEEKS. We have been asking for volunteers to sign up to help with decorations and setup. We've sent out electronic sign-up links repeatedly to the entire church. We posted a sign-up sheet in the parish hall inviting people to volunteer to help set up and decorate if they're not comfortable signing up online. FOUR PEOPLE signed up, y'all. Four. (One of whom is disabled and who gave this job their absolute fullest effort and attention today, bless them. 🥹🫶) Out of a church of ~160+, though, only 4. Really? That's 2%. We're not even close to hitting the 80/20 rule on this. And then I arrive to set up and decorate. We had a few last-minute volunteers and ended up with a total of 7, thank goodness. We're setting out tablecloths & centerpieces, building a fire in the fireplace, getting the griddles going, setting up food and beverage tables and organizing the flow of the buffet... And as people trickle in to attend the picnic, at a point when most of the hard work is done, literally half a dozen people stopped me at various points *as I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off* tying up loose ends to ask me, "Is there anything I can do to help?" 🫠 😖 🫠 😖 🫠 😤 🫠 😖 🫠 😖 🫠 I know people mean well, and that perhaps these offers were more performative than sincere, but I had to bite my tongue not to say, "If you've got a time machine, yes. Can you go back to 3 weeks ago and actually SIGN UP to help? Because I've been planning and coordinating this with my four known volunteers for the last 10 days and I just don't have the time or headspace at this point to give you an assignment." Like the stopping me to ask me "What can I do to help?" is actually less helpful right now than just chilling and chatting with your friends. Because I have to stop and think to answer your question rather than just continuing to get things done. So this is my PSA and humble request: if you actually want to help with an event, please understand that the time to offer your assistance is at least a week in advance, not *at the beginning of* the event. Show up on time and ready to help. Thank you for letting me vent.