Giving Challenge: RESET

Okay, so I’m not doing great at the daily updates, I fully admit that. But I am here now, so let’s focus on what has been happening…

Since Sunday I have realized that I am great a giving, but I’m not great at consciously giving. Monday and Tuesday I had nothing to add to my list for the 29 Day Giving Challenge. It’s not that I didn’t give anything either of those days, but I never had a moment during them where I said, “This is my gift for today.” And I think that that is perhaps more important than just giving. To give consciously. To be fully aware of your actions. To take responsibility for your actions.

We live in an unconscious world, so many of the actions that we take daily are completely on autopilot. We don’t think about them we just go through the motions of doing them. Which is why I think this challenge should be different, and why I have decided to start over with day one today (Wednesday, May 13).

As I move through this challenge, I want to be able to say that I gave in full awareness. That I wasn’t just giving throughout the day and then decided that one of those unconscious actions was the one I dubbed “my gift.” I want to be mindful. I want to be present. I want to be more aware.

If you have been following since Saturday and doing something similar with your giving I encourage you to start over to and make this as much about being mindful of what you are giving and to whom as much as the act of giving itself. If you don’t want to, that is also okay, but I hope that you work on making an effort to give consciously for the rest of the challenge.

This morning I already gave a gift, and I decided that today it would be a gift to myself. I haven’t mediated since probably November of last year, and I know that it helps me, and keeps me connected to something bigger than myself, but I just haven’t been doing it. I’ve felt too stressed, I thought I had too much to do, and allowed my mental and spiritual health to be put on the back burner for things that I thought were more important.

So, as I settled in, closed my eyes, and drew in my first breath for a guided meditation I decided that this was my gift today. I gave myself the gift of stillness. I gave myself the gift of connection. I gave myself the gift of wellbeing. Part of my brain said that mediation couldn’t be my gift and that I certainly couldn’t give to myself, which is when I decided that “Yes, this absolutely was my gift.”

When we think of gifts we often think of something wrapped in pretty paper with a card and a bow. Likely something we bought (but not necessarily). We think it has to be physical, it has to show something (money, status, etc.) and in a lot of cases, we think of it as doing someone of a favor if it’s not a physical item.

Helping someone move can be a gift. Watching a family member can be a gift. Giving a hug to cheer someone up can be a gift. We dismiss so many things because they aren’t tangible, but what if we decided to change that it means to give? What if each breath is a gift to our bodies because it means we are alive in that moment? What if writing in a journal was a gift because it allowed us to release our anxiety and stress and helped us to feel better and be more present in our lilfe? What if watching the sunrise was a gift because it reminded us that we have another day to be alive?

So, that’s why today I gave myself the gift of meditation and tomorrow… who knows? Everything is on the table now.

29 Day Giving Challenge Day 1 & 2

So, here I am a day late with my first blog post about my 29 Gifts Challenge, and what can I say? Life happens, we forget sometimes, it’s better to forgive yourself than continue to beat yourself up over something so small as forgetting to write a blog post.

That just means that today you get two stories!

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I decided to start this yesterday. I have a close family friend who I always get something for Mother’s Day. I’ve been friends with her son for about 20 years now and they have always welcomed me into their house with love. Along with some banana bread I had ready I decided I would make her a fabric mask since my brother and I were able to pick up some material recently.

I sat down and picked out all the fabric, took my time sewing it, and had made a wonderful mask… then I found some fabric I forgot we had and decided that made a better back color and sat down to make a second one. Yep… I’m THAT person.

I went to drop it off at her house but she wasn’t up (I found out later she was napping) but I sent her a text letting her know it was outside and I wished her a Happy Mother’s Day and went on to make another mask delivery to a friend down the street. I got a text from her later thanking me.

Today, on Mother’s Day, I wanted to do something special for my mom because she is part of the at-risk community and really doesn’t leave the house unless it’s absolutely necessary. Usually, my brother and I take her to this upscale Mother’s Day buffet that a local restaurant in town puts on, but for obvious reasons that wasn’t happening.

Instead, I found a box of cinnamon roll mix that had been forgotten about in the back corner of our freezer and I pulled that out. I made the dough the night before and we baked in the morning them along with the rest of breakfast for just a little something extra.

They were a hit with everyone, and I am pretty sure I saw my mom munching on cinnamon roll pieces all day.

It’s funny how at this time on the planet we have to think outside the box in order to give something of ourselves. We are social distancing, shops are closed, we are staying home and staying in, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep giving something of ourselves. Just remember that as we keep moving forward into whatever normal is after all of this – we are still creative beings and can use that creativity in any way we want.

That’s about all for today. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

29 Gifts Challenge... I'm in!

Okay! It’s time to get ready for the 29 Gifts Challenge, and I will be starting tomorrow, because why wait?

Why am I doing this? I’ve become too focused on myself, my situation, and all the things I don’t have. To kind of reset my mindset I am going to be participating in this challenge as a way to expand my life, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I haven’t been giving or receiving, and I want to get back into that sacred cycle. I can’t create the life I want if I am not able to fully give as well as receive.

The rules are pretty simple:

1. Give one gift a day for 29 days.

2. If you miss a day start over at day one (so the energy can build again).

3. The gifts do not have to be large or grandiose.

4. Set an intention every day for how you want to give.

5. Journal about your experiences every day.

The receiver can know about the gift or not, I don’t think it matters much. There is a lot of debate among the 29 Gifts community as to whether or not it’s better for the other person to know where it came from. I think if you’re looking for attention it’s the wrong kind of energy, but if you’re just giving from the heart I don’t see why the other person can’t know.

Gifts can be to anyone, ever yourself. I think often we forget to give to ourselves sometimes – and ai mean really give to ourselves. Not just buy a cupcake at the store because “we deserve it.” So, for me, participating in this challenge is a gift to myself, it’s something my body needs, my mind needs, and my spirit needs. No, I’m not using that as my first gift – lol.

I encourage everyone who is reading this to participate with me! We can share our experiences in the More Than Mimsy Facebook Group, or just comment on the day’s blog post to tell me what happened with your gift.

You can also join the official 29 Gifts community here.

Well… I think that about sums up everything I wanted to say. I’m starting tomorrow, Saturday, May 9, 2020 and I hope that you will join me or at least follow along!