29-Day Giving Challenge

I just happened upon a blog that mentioned the 29-Day Giving Challenge. This is a site that, in their words, is a "global giving movement" in which people are encouraged to give one thing away for 29 days. These gifts can be anything: money, food, time, crafts. The site shares lots of ideas for giving, as well as sites of organizations that need donations.

* There is a hospital right near where I live; I could easily crochet some hats for preemies and people undergoing chemo.

* I love to craft, but I live in a household of men who do not like my style of crafting/decorating. I could still satisfy my urge to make decorations and then give them away to neighbors, friends, assisted-living facilities.

* The library is one of my favorite places in the world, although my town's main library is tiny and ancient. I've actually avoided it because it is depressing to see how few books there are. Instead, I should go volunteer my time there, and ask how I can help raise money for more books. The 29 Days site links to this great list of ways to volunteer at your library.

* I can remind Peez's teacher that she can send home any grading to be done or other projects she needs help with.

* I can satisfy my urge to bake and give the foods away to families who have been hit hard by the economy (we have quite a few of those on our block).

* I can support a friend's organization that donates food, supplies, and simple, hand-written cards to troops overseas.

* I can offer to help a couple who is moving to a new home next month.

There are so many opportunities to give, and if I keep up with this, I will hopefully train my focus off myself and on to others. This will keep me from looking at my lists of wants and "don't haves" and constantly bemoaning my situation.

You can visit my page on the site, or simply go to the home page to check it out. There is also a whole section of the site dedicated to gift giving ideas.

I'm pretty excited about this, actually. I love a challenge, and I often need something like this to get my butt in gear. Kind of like when I used to run; I'd need to sign up for a race in order to get motivated. I guess it's that stuff about setting goals. Kinda wish I could motivate myself to set goals in other areas...

Anyone care to join me?