get what you give (tasty edition)

i wanted to have some great fantastic first-day give of the 29-day challenge ready to share with you all today, but i didn't.

yesterday's gift: i came across some contraption today after work that my mom had been looking for, and bought it for her as a little gift ... i know she'd been looking for it and hadn't been able to find it elsewhere, and (as far as i knew) had given up on it.

future gives: i'm trying to focus my gives, though, on things that aren't purchased. it makes it seem too easy ... almost thoughtless, in a way. (and, not to mention, more expensive!) so, from here on in, my gives are going to be of a non-monetary kind. or, if they do require money, i'm going to make sure to put some thought behind it. something a lil more like the super-sweet surprise that arianne's friend sarah dropped off last night, in honour of her (belated) birthday. it was every bit as delicious as it looks - i need to find me some friends of my own who are in the cake-decorating industry!

today: totally busy, but i'm up for it. i'm contemplating attempting to find more hours in the day. does anyone have any suggestions?

bring it, thursday!

photo by me, cake by sarah

give like you've never given before

so i've been on a podcast listening kick lately. it started out as a little side-project for work and has turned into a full-blown addiction.

a few that i've subscribed to through itunes are the big vision podcast, idealist.org, carruthers creek community church, and social innovation conversations, which are put offered by the stanford graduate school of business' centre for social innovation.

(if any of you guys happen to have others to recommend, then please let me know - i'll gratefully appreciate any additions to my repertoire. i don't have cable, so remember - a girl's gotta listen to something while she's living a productive tv-free life!)

anyhow - i came across this one by big vision about the 29-day giving challenge. i'd never heard of it before but am drawn to programs that support the link between well-being and being a good person.

cami walker, founder of the challenge, says:

The first day of my personal 29-Day Giving Challenge was preceded by a sleepless night. I was awake all night feeling angry and sorry for myself during a difficult flare up of my Multiple Sclerosis. When insomnia hits, I often go through old journals and read them. I found a note that I'd made during a phone session with one of my spiritual teachers, Mbali Creazzo, two months before. The note said, "Give something away each day for 29 days." It was 3 a.m. and I decided in that moment to take the suggestion.

And so my 29-Day Giving Challenge began that morning as I gave my first gift -- a simple supportive phone call to another friend living with MS. I woke up the next day and the next day after that feeling excited about what I might give away. And I began to notice that the more I gave away, the more abundance I was experiencing for myself.

i'm gonna try doing my own lil challenge over the next 29 days .. i'll post about it here (i'll make it brief so that you all don't get bored, but it'll be my little way of staying accountable) and you're more than welcome to join me, if you're interested. leave a link in the comments, and i'll be sure to link to you.

even if it doesn't radically change my life, doing something nice for someone else can only serve to put out positivity into the world .. and it needs a bit more positivity, i think. don't you?

you can read more about the challenge here or listen to cami's podcast here.
image from here