I just finished reading Cami's book, "29 Gifts - How a Month of Giving can Change Your Life," on Monday afternoon and
passed it on to a friend that I felt might find some inspiration in it. I
wanted to wait until I had finished the book before I started my first day. I
just felt that I needed to get the full bredth of the book and take in
everything Cami had to say before I started. I joined the 29 Gifts site last week and have been waiting to get started. It's a beautiful site with lots of giving inspiration and personal stories and I've been anxious to share my own there.
Yesterday was my first day of giving. My meditation for the day was, "Today, I will give with enthusiasm." I was excited to see where this would all go and where the opportunity would pop up to give my first gift. It's very important to me to give without expectations, while still remaining open to receive. I don't want to give with the expectation that I'm going to get something in return, otherwise it would seem obligatory and mutually reciprocal. I want to give from the heart and with intention, but still be willing to open myself up with humility to receive with a grateful spirit.
I headed out in the morning to the laundromat and stopped at the bank on the way to pull out some money for the machines. I've always run a pretty tight ship when it comes to finances. We live paycheck to paycheck and we've been in danger of losing our house a couple times and so I usually pinch every penny, though we do try to give where we can. After I put all of the laundry into the washers and dumped my quarters in, I put the rest of the quarters in my pocket for when I would come back to use the dryers.
I then drove up to the kennel my friends own to drop off one of my dogs that has separation anxiety. He stays there during the day until my husband gets out of work and picks him up. I stayed at the kennel for a little while and talked to my friends while they groomed a couple of dogs. While there, I noticed that there was a sign-up sheet on the desk in the entry looking for donations for Woofstock (a local 5K run and fundraiser for the local animal humane shelter). I love my dogs and any animals, for that matter. I especially have a place in my heart for animal shelters and what they do for homeless pets. All three of our dogs and one of our cats were adopted through shelters. I did a quick calculation in my head of how much I would need to run the dryer at the laundromat and then took out $3 in quarters and put my name on the sheet. I wish that I had more to give, but this is what I DID have and I gave it enthusiastically. It wasn't until I got into my truck and started driving out of the kennel parking lot that the thought hit me, "I just gave my first gift!" I had a big smile on my face and felt energy fill my heart.
Quickly, though, my thoughts turned to the fact that I didn't even think about this being a gift until after I had given it and started to drive away. I remember Cami saying in her book that we shouldn't think about what does and doesn't count. My meditation had been to give with enthusiasm and that's exactly what I did. I didn't want to start the whole "counting" thing right out of the gate and so I put that out of my mind and have vowed not to let that enter my mind through the rest of my 29 days. I gave with enthusiasm and out of my scarcity and I was rewarded with a beautiful feeling inside.
As I've said, I don't want this experience to be about receiving, but I wanted to open my life and heart up to change and be willing to receive. Later in the day, I went to work and at the department meeting, our department head treated all of us to a beautiful lunch spread and a relaxing time to hang out with each other without having to think about work. I hadn't gotten a chance to eat before I left the house and this lunch, which my manager had put together by herself, really hit the spot. Because she's leaving our department, our manager gave each of us a parting gift. Each one of us received a beautiful potted flower with a pretty tag attached that said, "Best wishes as you grow." She explained that we're all growing in different ways and wants to wish us the best in whatever way that might be. It was such an appropriate gift to give, especially considering that it was the starting date of my 29 Day Giving Challenge. I want this challenge to make me grow in whatever way it leads me. The flower, my manger explained, is a symbol that we need to take care of it and nurture it as it grows into something beautiful. It couldn't have been given at a better time. It now sits in my kitchen window sill and I made sure it got watered as soon as I got home.
Another gift that I received was also from my departing manager. Last week, I had put a request in that I could get one day shift a week so that I could spend one extra night with my husband and kids at home. My work shift is 1-9 pm and I usually arrive home at 9:30 pm and everyone is in bed and asleep. I recently went back to work full time out of the house at the beginning of the year, after 14 years of working for myself. It has been a big transition for all of us. I see my husband for all of 15 minutes in the morning when I drive him to work. I see my kids for about 45 minutes until they leave for school. I get to see my kids a little bit longer when they have an appointment for the doctor or the dentist. Other than that, I see my family on Saturday mornings, all day Sunday, and Monday afternoons and evenings. My husband and I have resorted to writing each other notes and leaving them on the counter to find Tuesdays through Fridays. I really do need the day time open each day so that I can work on my school work (I'm working on a degree in Human Serices) and so that I can be available for the kids' appointments (my son is autistic) but it still takes its toll on all of us. We've worked out way into the groove of it, but it's not one that we prefer. My manager pulled me aside yesterday afternoon to let me know that starting in May, I'll be able to do the 9-5 shift on Thursdays. Needless to say, my husband, son, and daughter are thrilled! So am I! This gives us the gift of quality time together one extra night a week.
So, for my first day of giving, I've already felt the momentum build up. I received the gift of a beautiful and symbolic flower, time to spend with my coworkers, and the promise of upcoming time with my family.
I truly live a blessed life.