The Service Journal

In an effort to be a nicer person I started keeping a service journal to motivate myself. The goal was to record in the journal each night 3 kind things that I did for someone else. I did this for quite awhile but then I stopped recording the service and then the service began to slow down. Now I feel happy to have just made it through the day without going mid-evil on someone.

Anyways...I've decided it's time to resurrect the journal. Picking it up I remembered an act of service that is, well, memorable.

Come with me now to the local gas station. I am oh, about 8 months pregnant and looking especially cute in my baby pink fleece maternity track suit. (I'll pause here to agree that even the very idea of a maternity track suit is ludicrous but they are comfortable and I have several so just go with it ok.) It might have been May but I was still cold all the time so fleece was the obvious choice. Along with that choice I chose to ignore the fact that the suit itself was no longer suitable for my ever increasing girth.

Never the less, there I am getting Simon and myself some liquid refreshment. As we exit said establishment I notice a group of construction workers with their dumpy old pick up truck by the air pump. They were arguing and if my limited Spanish vocabulary served me well they were cursing. After buckling Simon in his car seat I realized what their problem was. A few days prior the gas station disabled the old air pump and put in a new one like 2 feet away. However, unless you knew it was there it would be impossible to even know it existed and it was ridiculously complicated for an air pump.

I saw my chance for service! Maternity girl to the rescue! I marched over to the men and since we had a bit of a language barrier I had to demonstrate the solution. Picking up the hidden air pump I began to show them what needed to be done. Quickly I was relieved of duty by one of the men and I hoped back in my car with Simon and drove home. It wasn't until I drove off that I realized how funny that must have looked. A giant pink pregnant girl showing 3 dusty construction workers who don't speak English how to use the mystery air pump.

I remember this moment in an aerial view. Looking down I see Simon watching me out the window. I watch myself lug that hose over to the men like I do it everyday and then my favorite part---I see the dudes standing around, embarrassed and saying NOTHING. Next the guy in the straw cowboy hat takes the hose, jerks his head and I walk away, belly bouncing, feeling oh so helpful. (I have no doubt that those men took a solemn oath right there in the parking lot to never breathe a word about what had just happened.)

Whether or not humiliating construction workers is actually an act of service or not is clearly debatable but I counted it. And starting tonight it's onward Service Girl and look out to anyone in need at the gas station.