[Dowwie]

tl;dr: I took a month leave of absence without pay from a highly coveted position in a competitive workplace to volunteer in Louisiana for the American Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina, in 2005. I risked a hard-earned position in the company to do what I felt was the right thing. To this day, it remains one of the most important decisions of my life that I've grown from ever since.

In 2005, I was two years into my career from university as a programmer in a highly coveted position for a company, in the American northeast, that was at its peak. something profound happened that began a new.. dimension.. in my life that hadn't existed before but since defines an important part of who I am today: Hurricane Katrina devastated the American gulf coast. I worked incredibly hard to earn my position in the company and dedicated myself entirely to my career. Yet, the country was dealing with a major catastrophe and I felt that I could contribute in a positive way to the effort if I were to get involved. I could have easily donated but chose not to. Donating felt like an excuse not to do something more meaningful. Instead, I decided to volunteer for the American Red Cross.

This is a long story that isn't suited for a HN comment but is one I've wanted to share for a long time. If anyone would like to read this story, please let me know as it will give me the incentive to finally blog it.