May 2011 Blog Posts (976)

I am so filled with wonder I don't know where to begin. It's been another magical day, praise God! There is so much I suppose I'll just start at the beginning. Today the only intention I had was to give. I woke up early and full of energy. Ready to tackle my day and all my tasks. Perhaps due to the long holiday weekend or yesterday's slow day, I was fully ready to take on the world so I hit the ground running and managed to give the following.

*I gave hubby a surprise by…

Where does the time go?

Anyway, today I worked for a few hours in the studio painting.  A friend of mine has wanted a small painting of mine for some time now.  But I procrastinate when it's not for a gallery or commission.  But today seemed like a good day to make his painting.  He is gonna love it.  My therapist likes the giving idea.  It feels like it is keeping me quite balanced.  I can't wait to try some new ideas....really explores gifts and the action of giving.…

I went with my family out to breakfast for the holiday and then spent the day soaking up the sun.  I helped my sister out by rubbing sun screen on her back, since we finally had a beautiful day outside!  We went to my Aunt’s house for dinner and I enjoyed the time I shared with them at the dinner table.  We also had fun playing with Ashley’s new puppy- she decided to…

Day 19 - May 28

-Allowed my brother to sleep in & let Roxy out, fed her, and played with her

-Posted/shared pages and blogs regarding Memorial Day

-Posted/shared IAAP websites for increasing awareness and membership

-Shared a phone conversation with a friend from MI regarding things going on in her life and with her family

Day 20 - May 29

-Commented to friends who served in military thanking them for their service

-Shared posts…

OMG, i cannot believe i'm on Round 5 already!  It seems like this whole experience just started last week!  I love how giving makes me feel!  And i have to admit, i love how much it has helped me to take better care of myself, or atleast starting to do so! :) 

So last night I was so excited about this 1st day of Round 5, that was until when i woke up at 430am wiith my neck in a million more times pain that it was when i went to bed!  I really don't have that much range of…

Today I did a stealth gift.

 My daughter went with me to the thrift store and we dropped dollar bills where we thought they would be found. We hung around for awhile to watch and see the reactions. We had a great time with this one

Today was an experiment in giving. I've been giving mindfully the last two weeks, but today I wanted it to be a nexus point! 

I wanted to go throughout the entire day without actively giving, to see if at the end of the day I could identify instances of giving and further develop my hypothesis on giving. 

After an exploration of today's events... I noticed a pattern... 

As it turns out, something that I give every day is the gift of…

     I'm doing better today.  The heat's gone down some.  I took a shower without getting the shakes.  By the time I went out to get the mail and bring up the trashcan, I could walk normal.  It's amazing what a vinegar-soaked old pillowcase across your blazing lap and shins being cooled by a summer breeze will do.  That, and a little Solarcaine and some Advil gel-caps.  I may get to sleep in my routine position tonight even.  I missed going to disc golf tonight, so maybe next week.  Besides,…

Today was the last day at my job.  Almost 2 years with these wonderful, supportive women ... how do I say goodbye?  A quick hug and dart out the door didn't seem like enough and yet, is exactly what I could see happening.  I decided instead that these women deserved a little love note.  I went to the coffee cart across the road and picked up 5, $5 gift cards.  I wrote each of them a card that said something specific about how I have appreciated them.  I ended each note with "Thanks a…

So, my planned gift today was a batch of brownies I made for the office.  They stuck to the pan and had to be scraped out, but they were still tasty and appreciated.

1. Brownies for the office.

Triple chunk, white chocolate chip brownies with crushed mint Milano topping.

2. Caught and released a "big spider" that one of my male co-workers was afraid of :) …

I need to write how this whole giving thing affected my life. I have to be honest. I haven't experienced any outside changes. The universe has not been kinder in any way. Great things are not coming my way, other than the regular wonderful life that I've had. I have been very appreciative of my life for a long time, so I would notice even the littles change in the outside circumstances. There's none. But it's ok, because... what I realized today are two important things:

1. That I…

This morning I wrote a note and put it with Cami's book.  I sent it to school with my son for him to give to his music teacher, whom I had told about the book last week.

Another gift I gave was feeding someone else's meter over the lunch hour.

Today I got up a bit late but managed to get ready to go to town, my brother sent me out to the bus stop and I managed to get a bus to the train station.  Luckily there was a train waiting and i rushed in but it still waited for the cleaners to get it done.  Then went to town and then did some checking around and surveying prices.  After that I sms my friend to check if she is working and she said she is, then I went to meet her but she has gone with her aunty so I went for lunch with…

I will miss leaving my flowering trees, plants and much loved Penobscot River behind when we move.  And I look forward to the gifts of the earth that I will receive at the new place.  But anything I can take cuttings from, such as the beautiful Willow Tree that graces my front lawn, to seeds from the Rhubarb plant, will be coming with me. …

It was a busy weekend, so I am catching up now.

DAY 14. So the babrbeque never happened. One of the kids had pink eye. So that gift doesn't matter. But, instead we went to the beach. I took my little nephew with us. Had to go pick him up - extra hour of driving. Then drop him off - another hour. I think it qualifies as a gift. Although I greatly enjoy having him once in a while, and it doesn't happen often - my sister doesn't want to part with her son. But…