Monday, December 07, 2009

Well, my 29th day was officially Sunday.  And once again- I gave a lot to the Children's Ministry and to the Children in the Christmas Musical this year, at our last practice before Dress Rehearsal on Wednesday!  And then when I got home, I squeezed in just a little bonus with some bananas we had browning on the counter~ I made banana muffins for the family, and a batch to share!!

And now, my gift to you is the gift of giving itself and the challenge to try it for yourself and reap the rewards in more ways than you could ever imagine!!



About the 29 Gifts Movement.


The 29 Gifts Story
29 Gifts Origins



29Gifts.org is a global giving movement with several thousand members in 38 countries. Our collective mission at 29 Gifts is to revive the giving spirit in the world. We change lives—and change the world—one gift at a time. During our first year of operation we've accomplished a lot for some very worthy causes. Read about some of our projects here.



GIVE A LITTLE EACH DAY. MAKE A BIG IMPACT.

Give one thing away each day for 29 days. Share your stories about how it impacts your life to focus on giving. Join the 29-Day Giving Challenge today. Why? Because to see our world change, we have to do something to change our world. Plus, the best way to attract abundance into your life is to be in a perpetual state of giving and gratitude. Be an important part of the global giving movement that inspires more generosity on our planet.



HOW IT WORKS:

Sign up and then give away 29 gifts in 29 days. Your 29 Gifts can be anything given to anyone... money, food, old sweaters, smiles, your time, kind words or thoughts. You can start your own personal 29-Day Giving Challenge at any time—there’s no official begin or end date. To complete the challenge, submit a story, post a piece of your original artwork, create a short film or write a song. Tell us about your favorite gives and the impact it made on your life to focus on giving.



29Gifts Founder, Cami Walker, answers some frequently asked questions in this Welcome Video



Find more videos like this on 29-Day Giving Challenge



A FEW HELPFUL TIPS:

1. Be mindful. The Challenge is intended to be a sacred ritual—it is your opportunity to cultivate a mindful practice of stepping outside your own story for a few seconds each day by serving others.



2. Don’t quit. If you have a day that you feel unmotivated to give, it’s ok. Just go for the simple give. Call a friend and give some kind words. Write someone a nice note. Or exchange smiles with a stranger. Every give doesn't need to be monumental. You might even notice that the “simple gives” feel more powerful than the grand gestures.



3. Don't worry if you don't do it perfectly. If you forget your give one day, be gentle with yourself. This ritual is about progress, not perfection. Sit down and quietly reflect on your day. Review the entire day mindfully and find the times you unconsciously gave so you can bring it into your consciousness. Don’t forget that there is never a day that you don't give. There are only days that you don't acknowledge and remember you did.



4. Be receptive and have fun. Enjoy your 29 days. And remember to stay open to receiving. Giving can't happen without the receptors of our gifts.



5. Participate. To get the most out of your experience, take part in our discussion forum and document your experience. Writing in your giving blog or posting videos or images regularly on the site will help you keep giving top of mind during your 29 days—and longer if you choose to stick around.



6. Stick Around. When you've completed you first 29 days, our hope is you'll feel so inspired by the changes you see in your thinking and your life, that you'll continue to give mindfully each day. You're welcome to stick around our community as long as you want to. Many givers have been here for multiple 29-day cycles. You're also welcome to join us as a volunteer after you've completed your first 29-day cycle. We always need people who are willing to commit to help welcome new givers, comment on blog posts, spread the word online, help us organize our community events and fund raisers. If you're interested in volunteering, contact Erin, our online community manager at erin@29Gifts.org and tell her a bit about yourself, your skills and why you'd like to be a 29Gifts volunteer.



Sign up now and get started. Give your gifts to the world!

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Days 24-28

Geepers!?  I don't know where the time has gone!?  Another busy week in the Olson Household.... 
Imagine that. 

Tuesday, Day 24
(Thankful for my daily facebook updates to keep me inline and my memory refreshed)

Karisma 'Jones' Olson thinks she just found out what her gift du jour will be today!! http://www.starbucks.com/


I can go to starbucks and know that 5c of my wonderful cup of coffee is going to help fund aids research! Thanks Andrea!!  Starbucks Coffee Company
December 1 at 1:21pm · Comment ·LikeUnlike · View Feedback (4)Hide Feedback (4) · Share

Yvonne Ruffthat's cheating.
December 1 at 3:13pm · deleteKarisma 'Jones' OlsonOh how do you figure?!
Ok, I did feel a *little* nudge of guilt- so I gave another $1 to Harvesters too, fed another 5 families!!! That feels good!! I was sooooo going to Pay It Forward today- at McDonald's- it was the only drive thru on my list, but the line was FOREVER long and I only had an hour for lunch.... so I went inside instead and will have to save that one for another day.... :O)
December 1 at 7:25pm · Delete

Wednesday, Day 25
December 2nd- Pookie's Birthday!!

Well, of course I gave him gifts!!

And I gave my bff away..... 
:O( 
She packed up the house, hit the road and moved away.....
far, far, away.

But, she'll really never be more than a click awy.

Thursday, Day 26
I gave a hug.

Friday, Day 27
I did it- on the afternoon Sonic run, I decided I'd pay it forward!  So, in never having done this before, I thought, do I ask what the person behind me's total is before proceeding?  What if they're buying lunch for their office or bringing home dinner for the family?!  What if it's outrageous?  Doesn't matter.... defeats the purpose.  You just have to jump in, full forced- no going back. 

So I did.

I asked to pay for the person behind me too. 
Her total:
$1.10.

That felt like cheating.
But still, I bet it brought a smile to her face! :O)

Then, later in a trip to Tar-Jay with the kids, we all picked out gifts for Toys 4 Tots- no price restrictions- I just asked them to pick something they thought another child would like...
Some kids will be happy to receive-
A McDonalds cash register, complete with the burger and fries, a cool new sled and a couple packages of play-doh!! Oh what fun!!

Today- Day 28
After an early morning Holiday Extravaganza and pancake breakfast at school with the kids, the girls
(Bella, Aunt Cathy, Nana and I), we all went running around and did a little shopping too.  Our first trip was to the King Of Kings for Martin Luther Academy's annual cookie walk and while paying dearly to keep my own child well fed today, we also made sure to go out of our way to hit the Salvation Army buckets whenever they were near!!