31 for 21: Poured Out

*I've joined a blogging challenge for the month of October: Blog every day in October in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (Down syndrome is medically defined as Trisomy 21, and there are 31 days in October, hence the name 31 for 21). My posts will not necessarily be about Down syndrome, but I am writing as a person who 1) loves many people w/Down syndrome and other disabilities and 2) desires for others to be able to see what I see: remarkably unique people with much to offer to the world*

Today was a tough one.  But it was primarily tough just in the sense of being exhausting and physically challenging.  I don't mind those days all that much.  Better than days where I mess up, or days where I deal with attitude problems with staff, or days where I think someone is being treated unfairly, or days where we're being monitored by someone from state who is making sure we do everything beyond perfection....etc.

So today was the best kind of tough day I guess.  We were short two staff, and the people we got in their place to stay in ratio were not people whom I could ask too much of, for a variety of reasons.  So that left my other regular staff pulling some extra weight, and me pulling loads of extra weight.  I feel like what I did today was take people to the bathroom.   17 people, 3 times each.  I didn't- I did have some help - but that's what it felt like.  Aside from one office task I had to try to squeeze into the morning hours, it was kind of like bathroom-bathroom-bathroom-phone-call-bathroom-bathroom-bathroom-instruct-staff-bathroom-bathroom-bathroom-lunch-bathroom-bathroom-bathroom-bathroom-instruct-staff-bathroom-bathroom-bathroom-my lunch-bathroom-bathroom-bathroom-check-on-staff-bathroom-do-everything-replacement-staff-had-left-undone-bathroom-bathroom-bathroom-do-all-my-usual-daily-tasks-crammed-into-30-minutes-finally-go-to-the-bathroom-myself.  Objectives were run with the clients, but not well.  Conversations were had, but they were rushed.  But at the end of the day, everyone was clean and fed and their little take-home sheets were filled out and we'd avoided any disaster.  And so I think the day was a success.  Not every day is filled with sweet, rewarding, bloggable moments.  And yet some days I think it is good to just pour myself out and get little in return.  It's good to remember that I am called to humble myself and to serve, and am called to do so selflessly and without expectations.  I'm not always good at that last part.  May Jesus continue to teach me more of His own humility, and may I be overjoyed at spending every drop of energy, and spending it well.