Category: Thoughts

Weekly Check-In

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Traditional Volunteerism

  • 4 Hours of Crisis Text Line
  • I’m donating Blood today. Sticking to my new years resolution!

Charitable Giving

  • $2,000 to Water.org (and yes technically this isn’t money that came out of my pocket, it’s coming from my company, I still worked for it).

Personal Kindnesses

  • I spent about 3 hours in the car this week taking someone to the airport during rush hour. While traffic isn’t so fun, helping out a friend is. I know that I rely on my friends to do things that they don’t necessarily want to do and I’m glad that I can do things for them.

Self Care

  • Last Sunday was the First day of Spring and I decided to celebrate in a new way. I did 108 Sun Salutations as the sun rose on spring. It was an amazing experience.  A great way to welcome the spring and do some physical spring cleaning. It was also a great way to practice endurance and patience and focus, three really wonderful things to practice. I was sore for the next three days. Next year I’m going to train for it. I honestly didn’t think yoga would make me sore but 108 is a lot.

Please share in the comments how you’re doing this week!

Happy World Water Day!

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I have to take a moment to say that my heart goes out to Brussels. #JeSuisBruxelles

It’s disheartening that this is becoming a regular occurrence but I took some time today to think about how much fun visiting Belgium brought me when I lived in Europe. The waffles, the fries, the Atomium on the horizon. The man who gave me directions in french without bothering to take his cigarette out of his mouth. It is a wonderful place.

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 Holr Magazine

Today is World Water Day

I’m excited to announce that I have chosen Water.org to receive my $2,000 donation that my company gives for my volunteer hours last year. I wish I could say I was clever enough to have timed it to World Water day but it’s just a happy coincidence. I posted a few weeks ago about my struggle choosing a charity and I did struggle. I couldn’t decide to go global or local, cultural or health issues, small or large charity. In the end I think I found a charity that didn’t make me choose too many things. I wanted to give to a women’s rights, an environmental issue, a group that helps teach people how to read, and Water.org does all of those things. Women are primarily impacted by lack of access to water and are kept out of schools and the workplace because they have to spend hours retrieving water. I also appreciate that this was something where volunteering isn’t as much help, the money is the best way to make an impact. According to the website I’ve helped give 80 people “safe water, providing hope, health and opportunity.”

I’m very grateful that I can celebrate World Water Day and that the company I work for recognizes all my hours of volunteering.

Voluntourism

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This is my first real foray into Voluntourism (Volunteer tourisum). I’m trying to pull together a trip to Orlando in May to volunteer for the Invictus games. I’ve never volunteered on vacation or made a special trip to volunteer but this event in one of my favorite destinations drew me in. It also seems like I could have a similarly amazing volunteer experience as I did for the 2015 Special Olympic World Games. http://invictusgames2016.org

 

I’m still trying to get the pieces to fall into place. Because I’m from a greater distance and don’t know anyone it’s been hard getting an answer on how to sign up to volunteer and if I even can. There are tickets I can buy to the events so I could just go and enjoy. And it’s all coming up quickly and I need to buy the plane ticket… hotel reservations are already made because I can cancel those. It’s a lot of moving parts.

 

I suppose that’s why people typically join pre-planned tours to volunteer in other places. I’m not the kind of person who likes to be a part of a tour group when I travel whether it’s volunteer or pleasure. And with anything you give your time or money to you want to make sure the money/time is really making a difference. That’s often difficult to decipher.

 

Since this quarter I’m focusing on Self Care I also have to ask myself how it fits in. I love travel and vacations. I think they are an absolute necessity to recharge and bring a joy refresh into my life. So it will be interesting to see what happens when I trade in my time to relax and refresh into something else. Although I do enjoy volunteering it takes energy and effort that is different from a normal vacation. It’s more planned – I’ll have to be somewhere at a certain time. It’s putting myself second to the people I’m helping. And I’m spending a good chunk of money on the trip. I’ll report back as the planning moves forward.

 

What do you think about Voluntourism? Have you ever taken a trip in order to give back? Is it just a new way to profit off of the kindhearted? Is it the perfect way to see the world?

 

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2014/07/31/336600290/as-volunteerism-explodes-in-popularity-whos-it-helping-most

Accepting Self-Care

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As I was putting away some laundry last night I stepped on a piece of glass (from who knows what) and the bottom of my foot started bleeding. I was stressed, annoyed, and not ready for one more thing to go wrong. I’ve been studying a lot and working a lot and a recent shin splint put a wrench in my training plans. As I cleaned up my foot it occurred to me that I have to just except that I need to take care of myself.

 

It seems strange that we would struggle against taking care of ourselves. Why would we turn down a night curled up with our favorite movie, a yoga session, a trip to a favorite restaurant with a friend, or a spa day? But the excuses seem to pile up; I should be working on something, there’s that laundry that needs to be done, I promised that family member that I’d put helping them first. And I, like most people, have to fight through a fair amount of guilt to get to self-care. I put others first or disregard fun for more important things. #TheStruggleIsReal

 

But you can’t let excuses and guilt get in the way because in the long run everyone suffers. Self-Care is an important thing. It helps you refresh and have the strength to be ready when others need you. My body wasn’t letting me ignore it any longer. I felt the need to take care of myself become more and more present even though I’d been putting it off and letting guilt put it on the backburner.

 

So I took a few deep breaths and told myself that I need to accept this self-care. I need it. I need yoga and to sit and paint my nails and maybe even a nap. Self-care is important and guilt needs to be let go of.

 

Do you struggle with accepting the need for self-care? How do you begin to accept it?

 

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Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day!

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Happy Random Acts of Kindness Day! ‎#RandomActsofKindnessDay‬

 

I know when I hear about random acts of kindness I think of grand gestures that a step above and beyond, that take thought and work, and can even be inconvenient or difficult. It reminds people to do something they normally wouldn’t. Be kind when no one expects you to.

 

That’s why I use the term “personal kindness” in my Weekly Check-Ins, I only consider small things that I did personally to be kind. Focus on just a small choice I made to be kind when I could have been mean or neutral. I’m trying for consistent acts of kindness, or making the random, standard. Of course this is a process that I think about every week and I’m far from perfect, sometimes it’s still random. But I’m shooting for simple kindness. Everyday kindness. I don’t mind if I’m kind so often that people expect it, because I expect of myself. I would hate to just be randomly kind, I want to be consistently kind.

 

Not to say of course that Random Acts of Kindness and RAoKD is not wonderful. We should all be thinking about and acting kindly. Every kindness helps.

 

How are you going to celebrate #RandomActsofKindnessDay‬?

 

 

 

 

Taking Time for Acclaim

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The company I work for offers a few programs to encourage community involvement. Of course I volunteer because it’s a part of who I am but the company perks certainly are nice. You can find volunteer opportunities but also record them and at the end of the year based on the number of verified volunteer hours they give you a certain amount to donate to an organization of your choice. With my 202 volunteer hours last year I maxed out this benefit and get to give a serious chunk of cash to my favorite place! It’s really a nice reward to recognize all my hard work.

 

While I don’t do things for the acclaim it is an important part of self-care to allow yourself to be recognized by others and to take a minute to recognize yourself for all your work. Acclaim shouldn’t be sought out but should be welcomed. So I’m taking a moment to celebrate with my grant.

 

Then I realized I have to pick a charity. One charity. How do I choose? Local or global? Which important issue? Health? Environment? Education? So many good people doing good things!! The first rule I made is I’m not going to donate to any of the organizations I volunteered for so that rules out Special Olympics, Crisis Text Line, American Red Cross, Pantene Beautiful Lengths, 826LA, and Homeboy Industries. All fantastic organizations but they got my time last year.

 

So organizations started popping into my head. There is My Friend’s Place which I’ve worked with in the past and just love. The Los Angeles Library that keeps my city literate. To Write Love on Her Arms which is celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary. The Jane Goodall Institue that is a leader in conservation. The Girl Scouts, I was one when I was younger and loved it. Planned Parenthood a very important organization to women’s health in the US. WriteGirl another great local education organization. And other ones keep jumping into my head – RAIIN, UNICEF, Books for Africa, etc, etc.

 

I guess this is a fun thing to think about. I want to pick a charity by the end of the month. Comment or tweet me your thoughts on how to narrow down my choices or suggest an organization for me to add to my list!

Happy Groundhog Day!!!

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It’s my favorite holiday. Happy Groundhog Day everyone! And no it’s not my favorite because of the movie.

 

I like it because 1) it’s a magical fortune telling groundhog who writes poetry, 2) I grew up in a place where the prediction mattered, and 3) it’s the easiest least stressful of holidays meaning you can celebrate as much or as little as you want. You can throw a party or forget until the morning of and just wish everyone a “Happy Groundhog Day!”

 

I think it’s an important part of self-care to make the decision to be happy and joyous and let yourself have fun. I know people think I’m kidding when I say Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday but it really is. It’s a day that I just get to be happy and celebrate just because. It makes me smile. This Groundhog has a crew of people in tops and tails taking care of him and thousands of followers to cheer for him.

 

Is there something that other people think is silly that makes you happy? Something that reminds you to smile when you forget? Something that you decide to allow to make you joyous? Share with me in the comments.

Exercise as Self-Care

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So one of the self-care topics that is really important to me is exercise. I feel like it’s an under used and under rated resource.

 

One of the reasons that January posts have been a little scattered is because I took time to take a vacation. My first one in years! I ran the Walt Disney World Marathon and took a week to enjoy Walt Disney World with my friends. It was wonderful. It was my first marathon and I finished (not very fast)!! I wore a princess costume and took a ton of pictures. It was such an amazing feeling to accomplish such a big goal and wear a nice big medal to match!

 

I started running over a year ago. I ran a couple of half marathons, a 5k, and a 10k. I really enjoyed it and my dog really really enjoyed the training. I plan on doing a couple more half marathons, 5ks, and 10ks this year and haven’t really ruled out doing a marathon again.

 

I view my running as a self-care project from start to finish. I’m not trying to set any speed records (which is good because I’m slow) or beat anyone or even really to lose weight. I run to clear my head and get into my body. I run because it makes my dog happy and that makes me happy. I run because I live right by one of the most beautiful parks in the US. I run Disney races so I can dress up and see the parks with other happy people. I run to feel accomplished. I run for an excuse to travel. I run to leave stress in the dust.

 

I grew up dancing and doing gymnastics and I’ve practiced yoga most of my adult life. I got into running because the races came up and it was something I could do pretty easily. Exercise is one of the easiest and fastest self-care activities. You can sweat out your problems so easily. I understand it gets hard to get started when you’re feeling down or stressed or just lazy but I’ve seen for myself the benefits.

 

I went to see Temple Grandin speak at the LA Library. She took a question from the audience and a teenage girl with autism asked her for advice. “Exercise, everyday even if you don’t want to.” Exercise heals our brain as much as it improves our body. I’ve seen it working at the Special Olympics World Games. Sport can have such a positive impact no matter what level you are.

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What is your exercise routine? Do you have a physical resolution? Do you feel the same way about exercise as self care?

Talent Inspires

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It’s been a little while since I updated and I’m working through the guilt of that. Self-care isn’t always easy. I took my first weeklong vacation in over 3 years and ran my first marathon; lots of great self-care and lots of things to work on. More on my trip and my race in a later post.

 

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day! A beautiful speaker with a beautiful message. What resonates with me as I think about his work and influence is that he empowered everyone to be caring, to make a difference, and to change what we see. Martin Luther King Jr. knew that your impact is a choice and comes from hard work not circumstance. “How easy it is to say, ‘I would have been better if I had had better hereditary circumstances.’” You don’t have to be a millionaire or a princess to be kind to someone else, to help someone get a healthy meal, or to make someone feel like they matter.

He shared this and so many other inspiring messages.  Dr. King Jr. had a talent for speaking and motivating others, he was one of the greatest orators of the 20th century. He used his talents to excite a nation and continues to excite us today.

I hope you take some time in this three-day weekend to check in with yourself. What are you talented at? Looking at our talents is a great way to navigate philanthropy. Often what we’re talented at we love to do. And when we do what we love to help others we nourish ourselves along the way. I know that I love to knit and sew and it’s a fun hobby of mine. But over the past couple of years when I’ve directed my projects to donation, knitting has become a lot more enjoyable. I challenge you to think about something you love and do a little research to find out how you can pair your talent with service. I think today is a very appropriate day to think about that. Hopefully you’ll share some ideas in the comments.

Maybe you’ll use some of those talents today to volunteer. I know that this holiday inspires many service events across the country.

 

doright

 

Year in Review

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This weekend I was looking back on my little New Years Resolution post-it for 2015. Overall I was pretty happy but it was a mixed bag. Some went in the opposite direction, some I did okay on and some I blew out of the water.

Let’s focus on the one I blew out of the water. I had resolved to volunteer 75 hours in 2015. This year I volunteered just over 200 hours. That’s more than a half hour per day on average. It also doesn’t feel like I’ve spent that much time volunteering, it hasn’t felt like a struggle to get those hours in.

Over the year I volunteered for –

  • Special Olympics World Games
    • The Special Olympics World Games was a life changing experience. It was wonderful to be a part of something so big and wonderful and overwhelming!
  • Crisis Text Line
    • I started volunteering for Crisis Text Line because of an article I read in a fashion magazine. It has also been life changing and I’ve learned so much about how to be a better helper, how to deal with crisis’ in my own life, and how to put empathy first. #SuperHero
  • 826 LA – SAT Prep, College Application & Scholarship Essay writing
    • I’ve been volunteering for 826 National for a few years now and always enjoy it. This year reminded me how nice it is to be older and not have to take the SATs. It was also fun to share the excitement with these young women and men as they embark on the college adventure and the rest of their lives.
  • Homeboy Industries
    • Homeboy Industries is something that I wish I could support more but I suppose everything helps.
  • American Red Cross
    • More on this a little later in this post
  • Hand-knit donations to various organizations (we have a knitting/sewing group at work that finds homes for whatever you make)
    • I only got to knit a couple of things this year but I always enjoy doing it. I have recently been tapped as a sewer since there aren’t many in the group and we have some projects on our horizon.

 

The other very exciting thing that happened this year didn’t start on my resolution post-it – starting this blog. The idea actually started from a job I was passed over for. I didn’t get the job but the job got to me and  I decided to make it happen for myself. The job was to think about how the company can give in a more organized and meaningful way. To take the good already being done and focus it. And after just a couple of months I feel like it’s working. I’ve been able to stick to a writing schedule and really think about how and why I give back.

 

It’s just a couple more days before it’s 2016 so it’s time to reset the resolutions.

2016

  • 200 Volunteer Hours
  • Give Blood/Platelets/Plasma on a regular basis
    • I gave blood this year and other than the prick on your finger that hurts really bad for days it’s easy and painless. But so far I’ve taken a very passive approach to donating blood, waiting for drives to come my way.
  • Read 12 books a year (last year this was 24 and I missed it by kind of a lot).
    • I was an English major in college and have always loved reading. It’s just been so hard to find time for it in recent years so I really need to make the time.
  • Keep and grow this blog and reach more people.
    • I’m planning on focusing on each of my four giving facets quarterly. Q1 Self Care. Q2 Traditional Volunteering. Q3 Personal Kindness. Q4 Charitable Giving.

I hope you’ll join me in my resolutions or share your own here. 2016 is going to be amazing, I can feel it!!!

 

Happy New Year!