The Night Before

OK, well technically the first day, but if I haven't gone to sleep yet, it doesn't count right? Actually this is the first chance I have had to sit down today. Now, were it a month or two ago, I would be stressing about this and probably also about the long day of work I just had, but that is not at all the case tonight.

See, it was only about a month or two ago, after I got pneumonia, that I decided to slow down. Something just clicked and I decided that I needed to start being better to myself. Giving myself gifts; enjoying my life more. I started getting enough sleep and taking time to do fun things--like watching movies, relaxing and hanging out with friends instead of always tending to the endless piles of homework that sit on my kitchen table. We all know that pile, and it never seems to be depleting. It's not that I don't want to work hard, because I don't think I could (or should) ever give that up, but just that I stopped basing my worth solely on the work I was doing. I decided that who I am and how happy I am count too. That was a really long way of saying that yes, I did work today but I also had a lot of fun and enjoyed the beautiful weather and a beautiful friend's company today. I can't imagine a more perfect day to get me in the mood for gift giving.

I am so very excited about 29 days of gift giving and also to be doing this with my wonderful friend, Sandra. And, as I am sure at least some of you know, this girl is incredible. She makes me smile and never fails to inspire me. I'm grateful to be able to share this experience with her and with you. I will try not to over think it and truly just have the experience. My goals are to make each and every gift meaningful, but also to allow them to sometimes be spontaneous. I also hope to give gifts to at least three strangers during this journey. Most importantly, I hope to touch a few lives--at least momentarily--and to learn something. I mean, what else is life really about?

Best of wishes.
Kelly

My Page - 29-Day Giving Challenge

My Page - 29-Day Giving Challenge

Sandra: A New Beginning

I'll begin by descriping one of the perks on my seemingly monotonous job at a corporate bookstore: advanced reader's edition copies of new books. Cami Walker's book, 29 Gifts, was magically placed on our shared bookshelf, and I took it with me on a few train rides, enlightened with each page. Here was a woman who had been through a lot, but was humble enough to admit that she used to come from a more affluent world. That being said, I did not come from humble beginnings, but as a college student I have found a place where I can proudly claim that I am a "yuppie" on my other blog! Needless to say, I feel I can hardly blog about frequently Whole Foods and say that I am not extremely blessed to live in such comfort.

A lot of my humbling thoughts come from my dear friend, Kelly P. This girl is wonderful. We were next door neighbors our freshman year of college, and she was than willing to have a few cups of tension tamer tea while we discussed everything we could think of. Fast forward to our senior year, and we conceed that we didn't have a "falling out," but merely stopped talking for a while. Over the past year we have found a way, a system for us to join together and share what we can until we go our separate ways from Chicago, and from our university.

Just the basics?

We will be documenting our gifts, just as Cami did in her book, but we're going to to it together rather than individually giving these gifts away. With the both of us, we can help heal and really give some meaningful gifts.

Love you all!