Day 29 - My last day of this giving cycle is a bit underwhelming - baby is sick, I've had little sleep and am shattered, so I just played Free Rice and earned 2300 grains via the World Food Programme. I would have liked to end with more of a "bang"... but there's always the next cycle, which I think I'll begin within a week or so.
This giving thing is a bit addictive, I think... :-)
Since giving and receiving are one in the same - for me the 29 Gifts practice was a real awakening of how we can mindfully give - how to recognize the opportunities to give to ourselves, our world, and those all around around us...and it's amazing, how a continues practice of Gratitude (365 Thanksgiving) starts helping the rest of the chaos fall in place
Day 28 - Today, I gave non-material gifts to my parents. For my mum, I gave the gifts of patience and gratitude. She looked after my unwell baby while I was at work. My mum is absolutely amazing and supportive, but like most mother / daughter dynamics, we sometimes annoy each other, especially when we have different ideas about parenting. Today, as I drove home, I resolved to be patient instead of automatically bickering, and to show much appreciation and gratitude for her care of my child. I fulfilled both resolutions and we had a good evening.
To my dad, I gave the gifts of listening and empathy. He often complains about things and I tune him out or only half listen. Today, I listened properly and expressed sincerely that I'm sorry he has had such a rough year with his health; I acknowledged how hard this year has been for him. He thanked me for this.
Day 27 - Today was a stay-at-home day and I felt lazy, so decided to find a way to gift online. I recalled the list of 57 simple ways to give, and a way I used to build my vocabulary when I was studying: www.freerice.com - from what I can ascertain, it's a legitimate programme. I earned 1500 grains of rice today and plan to do more. It's quite addictive!
Day 26 - I went for a walk with my baby and we left some coins at different places around a public playground, for children to find :-)
Some stuff came my way today, too - a yummy chocolate ice cream from my mum, a handwritten letter (remember those??) from a friend and a bag of hand-me-down baby clothes from a friend. Such generosity! :-)
Day 25 - During a break, I went to a book outlet store, not looking for anything in particular. However, I found a very affordable (read cheap!) book about Maori culture, which is something that interests my mum. She's been under some stress lately, so I bought it as a gift to her, in the hope it will take her mind off her worries. I'll give it to her tonight.
Day 24 - Our local library has a children's area and a few toys, but none suitable for little babies under 1. I bought a plastic container, went to the local second-hand shop and filled it with a mix of toys. I then left the filled container in the children's area. Hope that some babies will have fun with the items! :-)
Day 23 - Using Sarah's awesome list - @SarahChauncey/57-simple-ways-to-give-e3bc3e30fe1f#.kxoel3col" target="_blank">https://medium.com/@SarahChauncey/57-simple-ways-to-give-e3bc3e30fe1f#.kxoel3col - and a random number generator (random.org), I selected idea 28 - return that text you've been ignoring. There's that coincidence/ linked stuff again... this morning, I had been thinking about a friend I'd been putting off texting. So, I've texted her just now and hope to catch up with her when she visits in a couple of weeks.
57 Simple Ways to Give medium.com
As a society, we’ve kind of lost the thread about what “giving” means. Our culture is so oriented around stuff that we’v…
Day 22 - Today I gave the gift of positive feedback and a genuine "thank you" by emailing someone who wrote a book that I found very sad but inspiring. I wanted her to know how much I admire her courage in writing her book. I also wanted her to know that what I read will change the way I conduct some of my relationships, particularly as a parent.
Through this challenge, I have become more attuned to synchronicity and coincidence. Little things, and a couple of bigger things, keep happening. I think I've always been quite intuitive, but the 29-day challenge has definitely heightened my awareness of connections. It's quite uncanny. Has anyone else found this?
Day 21 - I gave my colleagues a chocolate bar each - getting into the habit of "random acts of chocolate." Yum! Will do something more creative tomorrow.
Day 20 - Today was a day for random acts of chocolate. I bought two big Kit Kats and put them, along with an anonymous note, in the letterbox of a family who live nearby. They're a big family with not a lot of $$. I hope they enjoy the treat
