Day twenty two #40acts

So I only read today's act after I'd checked emails, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram....FAIL! But let's face it, was I ever going to keep to the challenge of unplugging for a day...erm....nope. As sad as it is I enjoy technology and don't mind that my life is occupied by it. 

Today's act encouraged conversation, spending time with people (in real life not through a screen!) and playing games or walking. Rather than just blatantly ignoring today's challenge, I decided to engage with this whilst still having Facebook to hand! Ash and I went out for lunch and chatted and watched the world of North Finchley High Road pass up by. We spent the afternoon away from screens and did some baking for church tomorrow (well....I baked and Ash washed up) and then we played card games. It's been a fun day of chatting, being silly and throwing good humoured insults whilst beating each other at Monopoly :)

Day twenty one #40acts

Today I did lots of shooting type prayers. The ones where someone will be telling you something and you quickly and quietly in your heart just shoot up a 10 second prayer to God. I don't often pray in this way, not for an entire day anyway. It was quite tiring but it felt good to shoot up those prayers before I gave wisdom or voiced an opinion or offered help in some other way. To ask God to help first is the most obvious and sensible solution to everything but so often I only ask for Gods help when it's a last resort and there's no other way out. 

So today I've prayed about house moves, surveyor reports, job interviews, dream jobs, nursery places,  tests to be passed, cars to be fixed, colds to be healed, work to be completed, peace to prevail, rehearsals to go well....and the list goes on. 

Day twenty #40acts

Half way through!!!!!

When I saw the title of today's act a sense of dread came over me. The dread wasn't because of what I had to do, it was because of the reaction I feared I'd get. 

As a born and bred northerner I'm quite happy chatting to random people. Up north it's okay to chat to people at the bus stop, perfectly acceptable to engage the checkout lady in conversation and definitely 'sane' to be walking along the street with your head up smiling at passers by! So, you can probably understand the cultural shock I went into when I moved to London. In the last three years I have slowly but surely learned that it is absolutely not okay to even make eye contact with the person opposite you on the tube, let alone talk to them. Engaging the checkout lady will result in one or two word answers and if I walk along the street smiling at people they presume I'm more than likely on 'day release' from the local hospital! 

Despite the fears of the reactions I'd get, I embraced my inner northerner and spent the day saying hello and making small talk with strangers, desperately hoping they were fellow northerners! And you know what....it wasn't that bad. One or two 'do I really have to say something to you' looks, but nothing to deter me from continuing to chat to randomers :)

Day nineteen #40acts

Words are powerful. There's that old saying, 'sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.' I think this playground rhyme is complete lie. Words used against us can be really painful and if held on to they can become a negative part of our identity. It's so important we use words carefully, to build up rather than knock down, to praise rather than constantly critique. Words are important to me and it's one of my top two love languages. I need to hear the encouragement, the 'well done' the 'I'm proud of you' the 'I love you'.....words mean the world! And because they are important to me I try my best to be an encourager and say those things to other people. Words to let them know they did a great job, they are awesome, they are valued and treasured. 

Today's challenge gave me the chance to further exercise my encouragement by writing notes. It felt a bit weird writing it down but it felt good to commit those words to paper where they can be seen and read over rather than vocalising encouragement which can so easily be forgotten. 

Day eighteen #40acts

Until today I had never heard of Charity Tuesday! I donated to my chosen charity from a few days ago....Home for Good. 

Day seventeen #40acts

I'd like to think I'm already quite a polite person. I remember to say please and thank you and try to be aware of the people around me when it comes to holding doors open and stuff. I guess the one place where my politeness has a major downfall is the moment I step into the car! 

The past couple of years have taught me that London has entirely different traffic laws to everywhere else in the country. People are crazy! The other week some guy cut me up on a roundabout so badly that I had to swerve to avoid him hitting me. He then raised a middle finger at me and shook his head like it was MY fault!! I mean...what?? However, I have also noticed that since getting our own car I'm slowly becoming one of these monstrous London drivers who has no patience to sit in traffic jams and NEEDS to get to my destination as quickly as possible! 

Today I took the being polite challenge onto the road. I was patient, I stopped and waved pedestrians across the road, I let cars out in front of me. I even stopped at Amber traffic lights without convincing myself they were still totally green!!!! What effect did my politeness have? Well, I may have got to my destination a few minutes later than it would usually take me but I got there chilled and rather pleased with myself.