The Last Week of the Giving Challenge

This last week of the Giving Challenge has been fun and sad at the same time. I learned that to give is to be able to fill one's self up with love and share it with the rest of the world. During this last week, I received feedback from some of the little things I had been doing. From the bank teller who told me how I made his day just for being understanding of his job to the strangers on the street who stopped to tell me they liked that I smiled at them. Really? Those little things filled others with a sense of joy?! How exciting to hear that! I learned a lot over the last 29 days. I learned it's ok to just be yourself, that what I have to give is good enough, that it's the little things that matter, that the manners one learns at a young age make a difference as we get older, and that forgiveness is a powerful thing. But I suppose the thing I'll take away the most from this experience is that I don't want to stop giving! It makes me sad to think the Challenge is now over. Guess, I will have to try my best to continue incorporating this giving attitude into my life...everyday!

Days 19-21: Keeping in Touch

In the past 3 days, the most I've done with the Giving Challenge has been to keep in touch with friends and family during the storms. I've called one friend daily to see how she is since she lives alone and I text friends in the L.A. area who aren't used to such weather. Other than that, I'm not sure if I'm doing too well with this "assignment". I'm finding the most difficult part about this experience is staying mindful. To truly be aware of my actions and how they impact others seems to be the lesson learned here. Maybe I need to keep in touch with my own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as I go through this experience. Maybe I need to be ok with the fact that I don't have to do extravagant things in order to be giving. Maybe just being present with someone is all that is required.

Days 4 & 5: Perplexed

I'm already stuck! I'm not even a week into the Giving Challenge and I'm perplexed as to how to give. It's not that I struggle with giving. Actually, giving comes quite naturally to me. The challenge has been in doing it mindfully. To think about who, what, where, when, and how. Maybe I'm over-thinking it? I have been known to be an over-achiever, to analyze things over and over. I thought about when I asked the grocery clerk yesterday how he was doing while I made eye contact with him. Or today, when I was polite to someone who has hurt me. I wondered, "Could I count those times? Does it make a difference that I wasn't mindful under these circumstances?" Maybe I need to give myself a little leeway. It's not the goal so much as the journey. The journey of discovering how wonderful it can be to give, learning about myself in the process. Maybe this exercise gave to me again? Maybe it gave me the gift of patience, acceptance, or forgiveness. Maybe I should just let go and enjoy the journey!

Giving Challenge-Day One: Relieving Calm

Whenever I need to find peace and calm, I go to the ocean. There's something about the sound of the waves crashing against the shore that bring a sense of oneness for me. This was the same feeling I experienced when I took my first risk into the Giving Challenge. At first, I was perplexed, trying to figure out what to do. I'm someone who tries to do kind things for others but never before have I been so mindful of the choice to give. It was a little confusing actually. So I perused the suggestion list on the 29-Day Giving Challenge website . Nothing really spoke to me and I sat in front of my computer wondering how to truly give. Without expectation. Just for the sheer joy of giving. Then it hit me! There was a wrong I needed to make right with a friend. The last time I spoke with her, I hadn't been very understanding or even polite for that matter. I was still dealing with past anger and resentment towards her because she wasn't being the kind of friend I thought she "should" be. I decided to email her, offering up an apology for my recent attitude as well as offering up empathy for her current stressful situation. As I wrote the email, I could feel a heaviness lifting off of me. I moved from the judgment in my mind to the love in my heart. There was a sense of excitement as I hoped this email would provide the support she originally needed from me. I'm not sure if she'll accept the gift the way it was intended but I know my attitude shifted from resentment and frustration with our friendship to peace, calm, and relief. And I found myself incredibly grateful for her being in my life! And this was just the first day!