Day 40 - The End of the Journey

Day 40! Wow...can you believe it? Let me say it again...Day 40! Wooooo! Day 40! Day 40! Okay, just needed to get that out of my system. Day 40! Wooooo! Okay, really, that was it! Wooo! I'm really going to stop now. Really. Yes, really.

Yesterday, I had lots of ideas going around in my head about how I wanted to spend Day 40. I thought about making 40 gifts and giving them to each volunteer I saw for the day. But, my daughter was home, sick from school, and that would limit the amount of gifts I could give out during the day.

I thought about 40 Random Acts of Kindness, but they would have been limited to just my family, since we're staying indoors and making sure not to pass cooties/germs around until we get better.

I spoke to hubby and he gave me a great idea. He suggested I donate one month's salary (my salary, since it's my 40 day b-day project ;-) to organizations that mean a lot to me. Wow, what a great idea! I spent most of my day googling organizations and homeschooling my daughter.

I donated to the March of Dimes, The American Diabetes Association, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, MOPS International, San Diego Rescue Mission and the San Diego Zoo, for their Animal Adoption program. My daughter chose to adopt a Polar Bear because she learned about them at school.

Well, I did it and I am sooo proud of myself. I have to admit, there were several volunteer activities I had planned that I had to cancel due to house repairs/construction and illness, but in the end, my goal was to show that no matter how busy your life is, you always have time to volunteer one way or another...even if that volunteer opportunity is a small one. You can make a difference in the life of someone, all it takes is 1 minute...okay, maybe you need more than 1 minute, but I think you get the idea.

To the 2 people who are reading my blog, thank you for keeping me accountable. There have been times that I briefly thought about quitting, especially when my volunteer plans weren't working out (Meals On Wheels, Blood Drive, Crossing Guard at the Middle School, Beach Clean-Up, Pet Walk, Birth Choice Volunteer), but I'm glad I hung in there and stayed on this Journey. I learned a lot from volunteering in different ministries and realized why I can never stay on top of cleaning my house.

So, what's next? Recess. Yup...recess. My kids tell me it's always important to go to recess so you can get a break from school. So, I'm going to recess right now until Sunday. After volunteering for so many days in a row, my sweatpants are starting to feel just a little snug. I think I might start a 40 days Exercise Project. Anyone want to be a part of it with me?

Thank you for reading this blog and being a part of my 40day b-day project. Have a wonderful day, stay happy, stay healthy and when you get a little bit of free time, choose to volunteer, it really does make a difference.

Christina Williams