I am home from work and I just realized that giving has escaped me today—a small bit of panic set in when I realized this! What will I give?

I love that my giving is helping to remind me that I have knowledge and talents that other people value. In our busy world, it’s easy to feel like you are an island trying to stay afloat in a sea of others doing the same. I think we have a tendency to take our daily interactions with others for granted and not see how much we value others, and how much others value us.

Today was my first day of the 29 Days of Giving and I thought I had a plan this morning. I was all ready to give this thing to a colleague and then I forgot it at home—it must not have been in the stars! So I went in and started the day and didn’t really think about what I was going to give because I was far too busy to even contemplate it.

Each and every day I try to create learning experiences that allow my students to feel connected to the world that we live in. As our world seemingly shrinks because of our connectivity it sometimes feels like we are less connected to those around us more than ever.

In my quest for tasks that will help me remember that I have enough, that I am enough, I came across an article in one of my favourite magazines about how giving to others without expectation can reconnect us with our world.

Name: Sarah Marie Lacy

Usually found: Behind my easel, or behind my laptop

Hometown: St. Catharines, Ontario

Age: 22 years

Occupation: Artist, freelance web designer and freelance social media marketer (I like to keep busy!)

Will I survive a summer in Ontario with no cooling ocean breezes? Our house has no air conditioning and we do not have any window air conditioners. This may get very tricky, or at the least very sticky.To beat the heat without breaking the bank will take a plan. Can I keep my cool while keeping my green?

Like most classrooms, reading is a big part of our day. After lunch time, we have D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read), where my students pull out a variety of books and magazines to read. . . . During these past few weeks D.E.A.R. time has meant something else to me. While the rest of the class continues reading quietly, I’ve been taking a different group of students each day to read a specific book.

If I said that someone I knew left her full-time job, sold the company she had nurtured since 1994, and planned to move to the other side of the world to follow her dream, how would you think she felt? My initial thought was nervous, and probably excited. Laurie Brinklow is the person diving into this new adventure, and in speaking with her I realized that nerves do not appear to enter into the picture.

Whether in India, Nigeria, the Middle East, or Canada it seems women of colour have been obsessed with fair skin. However, such obsessions are not without their critics, and as people have begun to critically analyse the reasons behind and implications of this obsession, so have people started to rethink their attitudes.