Stretching Myself

My time & patience have been stretched to the limit these past few months. For a number of reasons, I often feel like I have nothing left to give & nowhere to turn for rejuvination.
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However, I have pushed myself quite a bit lately to extend service where I thought I just couldn't. It's been really easy for those I love, a lot harder for some that I sometimes struggle to show compassion & caring for. Sometimes I feel renewed & invigorated, sometimes it's more of a stretch to find the good feelings.
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I was interested when I saw THIS POST on one of my favorite blogs. I considered it for a moment & then dismissed the idea- I'm too busy, too pregnant, too involved already, right? And so I moved on.
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But then today I saw an elderly woman discreetly offer a small amount to the cashier to help pay for the obviously struggling young family in line in front of us. I don't know why it touched me so, but it almost brought me to tears right there in the grocery store. Maybe because I saw her counting out change to pay for her own bill, maybe because that young family looked a lot like mine not so long ago. Whatever the reason, it was a moment of epiphany.
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I have a feeling that someone is trying to tell me something! No more feeling sorry for myself & wallowing in all of my "busyness." I need to stretch myself even more. I hope it won't hurt!
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So I proclaim this on the blog, hoping that it will "encourage" me to stick to my commitment.

I'm going to do 31 acts of service in honor of my 31st b-day next month.

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I'm sure that I won't be buying gift cards & leaving cash on people's cars, but I hope to do 31 things to brighten someone's day. Hopefully it'll become a habit that will help me feel renewed when it often feels that I'm drained to my last drop. And hey, maybe it'll help me forget how freakin' old I'm getting!