Good Deeds & A Taylor Swift Concert

How Volunteering is like tots being obsessed with Taylor Swift

The past couple of weeks more than one person made a point of asking me, “Have you heard the new Taylor Swift song?” I had not, part of me felt a bit guilty, and the other part felt a little judged. It was like people had asked me, “Did you vote?” and I said “no”. There was definitely shade being thrown. Then I realized in true Taylor fashion, get over yourself boys. So, what if I had not run and memorized the entire song in the first week of it being released, that did not make me a bad person, a lazy gay perhaps, but not a bad person. BTW, P.S. T.S. is not on my OMG list, again bad gay yes, antichrist, well maybe but that’s another story for another day. Taylor Swift, for me, is super fun once I start listening. The tune and her infectious, gitty, psyche linger a few days after, but then something or someone else comes along, and I'm totes obsessed with the next big thing in front of me.

My passing fancy for Taylor Swift is very similar behavior to a certain on again, off again relationship with volunteering. Yes, we learned whores do spend our time doing a charitable act or two every now and again. Sometimes we take pity on them and do it twice in one day. See, Whores can be saints too. 

Walk with me, now, for the flow, word count and, well… "humor", when you read Taylor Swift or T.S. insert the word volunteer. Please, contain your snickering we are learned whores not gutter snipes. I enjoy Taylor Swift; her fans can be intense but overall no issues. I watched a video on YouTube and visited the website, but I've never seen her live-in concert. Obvi, this is a must if one is looking to engage on a more intimate level with T.S. and her catalog of music. This is it; I am spending the next several hours just me and a bunch of random folks getting our T. Swift on.  At first, I am apprehensive, not sure where to go, here is where my metaphor turns in on itself, a little metaphoric auto-fellatio if you will. If I could do that, I probably wouldn't be at a "Taylor Swift concert". A volunteer Usher is kind enough to show me to my seat and directs me to the bathrooms and concessions. Feeling informed and therefore a bit cocky, I file that information away like the lyric "Shade never made anyone less gay." I am armed and ready to offer that same friendly service to the next member of Swift's squad that asks. The entire evening is indeed transformative, I say so still basking in the afterglow.

Once I got home, I realized several things had happened. One, I had stepped outside of my comfort zone and did something that I could genuinely feel good about. Two, I was able to engage with Taylor Swift, not just as a cultural icon, but as a work of art in this particular venue. Three, like any true and cultured whore, I wanted more, I needed more. I'm doing a deep dive, when can I see Taylor Swift again? What inspired that song, or that outfit? Who does Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift with and where? Boom! You've just been Malkoviched. 

Yes, the act of volunteering, especially volunteering at a Taylor Swift concert, in particular, if you are Taylor Swift being the best T. Swift you can be at a Taylor Swift concert is like OMG my head just became one of Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriends and “we are never getting back together.” Ponder this my purveyors of the precious and popular arts. Volunteering, like seeing Taylor Swift live in concert is something everybody should do at least once, twice if you like, and get the T-shirt while you at it.