Originally Posted by
Bekindalways 
Thanks Sage. This speaks a lot to me. I really question my "Do gooder nature". Often I think the best thing I can do in this world is take care of myself and stay out of many people's life.
LOL! A hearty amen to this, BeKindAlways. Me staying out of other peoples lives is the best gift of volunteering I can give.
Funny you mention this, in a local charity shop there is a volunteer lady who (to me) has waves of being a codie coming off her. She speaks so very loudly and condescendingly to the customers. I can almost feel the smug self gratification she is getting. Telling herself what a wonderful helper she is. Temporarily filling that desperately empty void of pain within her. I could feel that pain coming off her within the other codie vibes. Crikey, I wouldn't want that to be me.
Off on a tangent a bit, I remember years ago at Al-anon meetings sometimes you would get people come along under the guise of them being "professionals" and wanting to learn about what it is like for people living with alkies. These people (to me) always had that same vibe about them. That they were there because they were in deep pain about something in their personal life but they needed the mask of being a "professional" to allow them to attend Al-anon. So very time they spoke, they would make big fuss about them being a professional and no, I don't have this problem but I want to help others who do. Um, riiiight!
One of our codie super powers is reading people, isn't it? Learnt whilst growing up in the dangerous chimps tea party that living in active alcoholism is. A useful power when used right.