I’m on day 7 of the giving challenge and am finding out a few things about giving, and myself.

First of all, I give more often than I realized (as I’m sure many of us do). Each day as I’m thinking about what I want to give, I find that I can come up with at least a couple ways that I gave already, without consciously acknowledging the gifts-asking a co-worker if I can help when I know she’s stressed out, offering a ride to my boyfriend, inviting friends over for dinner. It’s nice to recognize the small things that I do on a regular basis and bring them into my sphere of awareness.

Second, giving opens me up to receiving. I find that as I am giving, I am more receptive to receiving gifts as well. For example, last night, I went to see Ani DiFranco at the Fillmore, which was an amazing experience. Her music moved inside me, one song making me want to burst open, to honestly expose myself to others. With the arrival of the next song, I wanted to curl up under my covers and hide away for a while. Her music touches at the core of emotions that we all feel. I could feel the presence of the crowd, hanging on her every note, mesmerized.

At the end of the night, as I walked up to my apartment, I ran into my neighbor and told her about the show. She said that her partner was a big Ani fan as well and was going to see her do a live interview the following night in the city. This morning, I heard the doorbell ring at 7:30 while I was getting ready for work. I opened the door to find my neighbor, offering me her ticket to see Ani tonight because she couldn’t go. Just like that, a gift appears.

Third, being aware of giving makes me want to give more. I like giving. It’s fun to think up ways to brighten someone else’s day. By doing that, it brightens my day. While visiting a friend in the hospital over the weekend, I saw a sign for becoming a spiritual care volunteer. I emailed the contact and spoke with him today and will begin my training at the end of this month. I’m really looking forward to the gifts that will come from this volunteer position.

Last, giving makes life meaningful and brings purpose to each day. There are times when I find myself grumpily moving through my day, wondering where I’m going and what I’m doing (in that moment, and in my life in general). When I have a focus, a purpose, it makes the day more exciting: when can I give, who will I give to, where am I needed, what else can I do?

I’ve known this, but somehow, or somewhere along the way, I forgot. It’s nice to be reminded of the power of giving. Many thanks to the 29-Day Giving Challenge for helping me to remember.