I like the warm glow of service rendered. There's something about imagining someone unexpectedly finding an act of kindness that makes me feel warm and glowy and service-renderful. When I was a teenager and received my patriarchal blessing, it basically told me to dedicate my life to be one of service toward my Savior and to my fellow man. Let me tell you how excited I was as a 16-year-old full of himself to hear that line (I was not, by the way, excited). I remember specifically thinking that I wasn't, for example, going to become a nurse or something.
I see things differently now. I've had enough experiences with service to know that it is one of my life's greatest blessings. For example, a couple of my favorite things to do are cleaning snow off other people's cars and taking garbage cans to the curb. I liked thinking that my neighbor would credit his wife for getting the can out in time (and she would credit him). It didn't take long to get caught, but I still do it most weeks and I take the kids along. We call it "sneak attack" and we work our way to the garbage cans using cars for cover. It's a lot of fun.
I started cleaning cars off five years ago when I was a CNA. I had coworkers who did not own car scrapers and I would go out on my lunch break and clean cars off in the parking lot. It's not something you can do anonymously for very long, but that first little while before someone finds you out is very enjoyable because you picture everyone coming out to their cars and wondering who did that little act of service.
Last night was our adult session of stake conference, and we came outside to find that a lot of snow had fallen (and was still falling). I cleaned off a couple cars while Alison waited in the van, and when I came back to take her home she invited me to stay a while longer to indulge myself. I cleaned off a bunch of cars and we went home.
When I got to the priesthood leadership meeting this morning (I was playing the organ) a counselor in the stake presidency remarked that his car had been cleaned off when he came out last night, and told the man who had been parked next to him to thank his wife on his behalf. Mission accomplished.
