Gift The Lifestyle

You could say I am not in the Christmas spirit this year. However thanks to this amazing community I have had the pleasure of little moments of Christmas joy.  I have been given the opportunity to spread some holiday joy and am grateful for the reminders to fuel happiness. My pain has heightened my awareness of all the pain around me and that can be overwhelming. So it was a great when I was asked to spread some happiness. In that I was reminded to look for joy, to create it, and to seek it.

It started a few weeks back when Sheila from oranj Fitness heard about my Conscious New Years Eve Event and asked if she could anonymously purchase 2 spots to be given away to anyone I thought deserving… haha not anonymous anymore I guess, but it was a big moment for me. I felt she was supporting me through her gift to another, plus I was able to offer these spots to the most lovely person. They were so grateful and excited, their joy was contagious and made me feel good. 

Then lululemon gave the ambassadors a bunch of gift cards to give away as we wished, as a part of their #fuelhappiness initiative this season. I chose to do draws for them at the end of my Wednesday evening yoga classes at oranj. It was fun to give them away, to see the excitement in others. While it is a small gesture it was nice to watch the excitement in people as they were given  something with no strings attached.

And the giving continued...

I met with Jaclyn from Okanagan Lifestyle and they too were in the giving mood. They selected 10 people in the Okanagan and asked us to ‘gift the lifestyle’. Whatever the Okanagan Lifestyle was for us. Being the philanthropist I am, I can sometimes get really deep in the pervasiveness of needs not met. So, when I was given this task my mind was racing, how can I best give to the community with the $50 they gave us to ‘gift the lifestyle’?

But then I thought,  they asked you to gift the lifestyle not save the world...

For me the Okanagan Lifestyle is simple. It is hiking with my puppy in the forest, it is sitting by the lake,  it is yoga, it is walking downtown with a friend, and it is writing and coffee at Bliss. So after the fun afforded me from giving away the lulu cards I thought, that is it. For me Gifting the Lifestyle is coffee and a treat at Bliss Bakery and from there they can enjoy as they like, a walk on the boardwalk, an all afternoon chat with a friend, or maybe some much needed alone time to think or read. All of the above are a big part of my Okanagan Lifestyle.

I gave those and a few more lululemon Gift Cards away in class the other evening.

In true entrepreneurial fashion Darren Hull came up with the gift that keeps on giving. He created Share the Lifestyle Cards. 

I have also been on the receiving end of the giving. A family chose me as their 12 days of Christmas recipient. Each day these sweet ‘secret elves’ drop off a little gift to me. They have been bang on with the gifts and even include something for Ollie. It is a challenge for me to accept the gifts, it is far easier for me to be giving. But I know the joy in giving so am graciously accepting their kindness. Thank you secret elves. xoxo

Right now especially but kind of always my eyes are very open to the pain and suffering of the world. I see it everywhere and it is weighty so things like this are special. These moments where I can play in life's simple pleasures and when I can facilitate joy for others I ultimately facilitate joy for myself. 

We will see what we are looking for, so for now I remind myself to look for happiness and joy.

Whether you call it gifting the lifestyle, fueling happiness, or just being kind; be sweet to others now and always. Everyone could use a little more love in their lives.

~with love from me to you.