It’s been two weeks since I started My Daily Giveaway, and interesting things have been happening. Within a few days of starting, I submitted the text for the book I’d been translating and was blown away when the foundation paying me offered to pay me significantly more for my work than my contract had stated. That never happens. Then, I’d stopped by an estate sale on my morning walk one day and found the perfect swivel chair for Theo’s desk. I had no cash on me but the owners said they’d hold the chair for me until I came back with cash. Even so, a lovely neighbor who was there jumped in and said she’d buy it for me and I didn’t need to pay her back. That never happens either. And over the last few days I’ve had a flurry of calls and emails asking me to give lectures and do other contract jobs. This too is rather unusual for me. None of these occurrences have anything to do with this blog. None of these people concerned even know I’m giving things away and blogging about it. But all of these positive occurrences have made me think that maybe by deciding to give more as part of my daily life, I’m getting more back from the world around me.

So today for my blog, I decided to thank the universe (or at least some random people in my neighborhood) by just giving things away without even knowing who will get them. I filled a box full of odd items such as bookends, silk flowers, a car sun screen, some books and office stuff, marked the box “Free Stuff” and left it at the end of the street where there’s a lot of foot traffic. Although it’s heart-warming to be able to give someone a gift and see their pleasure at receiving it, it’s nice to think that even though those were hardly great treasures I left in that box, someone out there might be cheered up by finding something useful or pretty when they’re least expecting it.