IslandGirl's Blog (538)

Hello! I finished Round 20 on Tuesday, and I realized I didn't keep a giving journal, just a running list and my own journaling (which has been really helpful - I'd been away from it for ages). Every day this round, I made between one and six cards and left them around the city for people to find. I also gave consciously, in some way, every day, to someone or people in my community. 

The story behind the card below: I stuck it in the lights of a tree, and it sat there, unopened, for…

Hello, my friends! I'm on Day 21 of this get-out-into-the-world round, and it's been pretty intense (not the giving so much as emotional shifts. Ultimately they've been positive, but as is often the case, the process to get there has brought up some difficult emotions.)

This round, I've been leaving handmade notes in various locations, as well as daily gives that are sometimes "smaller" than what I've done in the past, but intentional nonetheless. The other day, I noticed all the…

Hello, friends! I'm on Day 11 of Round 20, and the decision to do this round off-line was a good one. I think of you all every day, but by not blogging, it's pushed me to interact more with the people who are physically around me. 

My goal for this round has been to make and leave at least one card in a random location every day. Usually I do two or three - handwritten on card stock, tied with a ribbon - though I'm still struggling with how to write single sentences that don't sound…

After processing and percolating and recharging, I feel ready to build some momentum with giving again. I've given intentionally (almost) every day, and for about five days now, I've thought, "Maybe this should be Day 1..." which didn't strike me as the best way to launch a new round and new energy.

I think I needed to step away for long enough that a new round felt like a fresh start. And boy, has a lot changed in the past week. My upstairs neighbour has decided to move to another…

It was a quiet, overcast day, and I decided to do most of my work at home. I wasn't sure I'd get out later, so I gave my cat a long-overdue groom and thought, "Well, that could be a gift." (I've been meaning to do it for ages.) I called the coffee shop to find out if there were leftovers, and there were: a single muffin and a single scone. So I trekked down to pick them up. I went to the grocery store and made a small donation to the food bank - yet another "default" gift, but intentional.…

This morning, I took muffins and scones to the soup kitchen. No other opportunities came up, so tonight, I left a loonie on a bowl of ramen noodles at the grocery store.

It's not entirely true that no opportunities came up. A homeless man I've seen before - who I've given to, then decided not to give to - approached me, and while I made eye contact with him, I walked past him without stopping. This has happened a few times lately, and I feel like the experience is kind of the opposite…

Last night, I made vegetarian chili, and... I don't know if it was this batch or something else, but a few hours later, I was curled up in pain. So my main gift today was to myself: I stayed in bed until I felt better. That meant I didn't get up and take goodies to the soup kitchen, but I don't think I could have. Fortunately, I was able to do work even while lying in bed (smartphones are awesome), and by around noon, I felt able to walk. Still, I stuck with peppermint tea and saltines…

Today I took some work (a lot of work) to a different coffee shop - the only one that's open on Sundays and has wifi. I paid ahead for a random stranger's coffee, something the barista apparently had never experienced (though he looked excited that he got to pick who to give a free coffee to). 

I also stopped by a shop and complimented the owner (I don't think I've ever bought anything there, but it's a really cute place and fun to look around). She seemed to want to talk, so I stayed…

Today was kind of light on the giving front. I worked most of the day, though I got out for a couple of walks, and... well, photo give :)  (You all know by now what that means.)  The funny thing is, I've noticed quite a few other people doing the same thing - at one point, I was going to approach three people and ask if they wanted a photo together - when I realized that one was a stranger taking a photo for the other two (and that's happened several times now). I wish I could say somehow…

This morning, I took muffins and scones to the soup kitchen. Then I prepared for my Financial Situation call, which went really, really well (better than I could have hoped). Whew! Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and support. They worked! I bussed a little at the coffee shop, but it didn't really feel like a gift, and no other opportunities came up. So tonight, I made a small donation to the food bank. It feels a bit like a default gift, but it was intentional, and I felt good about…

Today's gives were small. One was to help a local group learn more about how to use Twitter to promote their event;  the other was an offer to a young woman who works at the coffee shop, to read over any of her papers if she needs feedback. 

Preparing for yet another Financial Situation call tomorrow. Going through oodles of paperwork - it reminds me how far I've come. 

Hope you all had great Thursdays (and Valentine's Days). Cheers!

So today I did leave the grocery gift card in an envelope on a bench at the bus stop, and I wrote on it, "If you find this, it's yours!". Before the bus arrived, though, a man came by and began rummaging through the trash can behind the bench, looking for bottles to return. So I handed him the envelope and told him what was in it. Not as stealth as I'd planned, but he was happy, so it was fun.

Later, I ran into a man I mentioned last summer - his mother died, his father is…

It was a busy day, but my only intentional gift was to click on the Greater Good sites (Animal Rescue, etc.). I looked for opportunities, but perhaps not as diligently as I could have, because I was wrapped up in my own mind. I did buy a grocery gift card, but it was late in the day, and I didn't leave it for anyone...maybe tomorrow. It felt good to buy one, though.

I hope you all had wonderful…

Today was a new bank holiday in British Columbia, Family Day. Being a freelancer, I don't pay much attention to statutory holidays, but I think it's a great idea to create a holiday in what's usually a slumpy kind of month for people. (One of the things I've always loved about Canada is that there's a statutory holiday in August, simply because the government decided people needed a long weekend in August. This seems like kind of the same thing, and even more so, a special day off from…

Today, I gave a toonie to a busker I see often (and have written about before). He plays a recorder while his yappy little dog sits in his lap. The man is very sweet and reclusive, so I always like giving to him when I can.

Later, I took a photo for a couple - the man was taking a picture of the woman, and I asked if they'd like one together. 

That's all for today. Hope everybody had a great Sunday. Cheers!

This afternoon I passed by a homeless person I haven't seen before, who had a toque (hat) in front of him with just a few pieces of change on it. I took out the change from my pocket (not much) and put it on the toque. He didn't look up, so I didn't say anything... just kept walking. I thought that would be my give for the day, yet I was also aware it wasn't much of a give.

Then later, I was working inside the coffee shop and I saw a woman I know, a casual friend. She was in kind of a…

Today I was aware of doing many small acts of kindness, and a few things that were extra work but not really "gives," so tonight, I left a loonie on the drugstore shelf where baby food is sold. It was one of those, "Hmm, I have to give something..." but not in a panicky way. I probably could have counted any of the smaller gestures as gifts, but I wanted to kick it up a little.

Second Happy Dance time: I received another pay instalment and was able to make payments on rent and all my…

Thank you for your support yesterday. It was (in part) a date-specific "feeling down," so today was much better. Super-warm and sunny weather helped, too. 

The coffee shop is still collecting sweaters and warm weather gear for charity, and I'm thrilled at how many people have brought items in. I had a pair of fingerless mittens (a new trend that emerged because of texting) that I bought a couple of years ago; they were beautiful to look at, but I never really got into wearing them. So…

On a personal level, today was a difficult day, but I was able to throw myself into work (yay!), which was a good escape. At the end of the day, though, once again, I realized I hadn't given anything intentionally. So I made a very small donation to the food bank. I was aware that I felt like "I have to give something!" yet... it worked. It took me out of my head for a few moments, and after I did it, I felt better.

I hope you all had wonderful Wednesdays. Cheers!

This morning, I took muffins and scones to the soup kitchen. I really didn't want to get up, so today it felt like a give. There were small opportunities through the day - a man asked me to watch his bag for a moment; a few people wanted to stop and chat - but nothing major. The main thing is that, with each of the small moments, I consciously made the decision to give the gift of attention. Later in the afternoon, waiting around to pick up the day-old muffins felt like a give, because it…