“Those who spent time on others reported feeling like they had more time than those who spent time on themselves.”

— Rob Walker, The Art of Noticing

What This Is

Time Donation is my personal practice of giving 1–2 hours to help someone with a specific task.

It is not volunteering or community service, but a mutual exchange.

This is also my practice of Seeking, as Scott Shigeoka describes: showing up, enduring discomfort, and finding transformation through genuine curiosity about others.

I bring my time and attention. You or someone you know brings a need. We both leave a little changed.

This is the personal side of what I do with Kingston NetworkBuddy and Mabuhay Fil-Can. It is the practice behind the community work.

The Seek Framework

Time Donation follows a deliberate practice:

Showing Up

Not to an audience, but to one person’s specific need. No performance. Just presence.

Enduring Discomfort

The 1–2 hours where I don’t know what will happen. Where I might not be useful. Where we have to figure it out together. This is where learning lives.

Seeking Transformation

I go in curious — about norms, skills, culture, the social silences I haven’t noticed yet. I come out different.

It’s not about performing generosity, but about seeing something real in how someone else lives.

It’s not about performing generosity, but rather about witnessing something real about how another person lives.

What I’ve Learned So Far

The gift flows both ways

When you let someone help you, you’re giving them something too — the chance to feel useful, to see their own competence, to matter to someone. I used to think I was being generous. Now I see I’m being invited.

Specificity matters

“I need help” is hard to respond to. “I need someone to sit with me while I organize these papers for an hour” is a door I can walk through.

One crumb at a time

I don’t know where this leads. That’s the point. Each donation is an experiment. A chance to learn something I didn’t know I was missing — about norms, about skills, about the quiet things people carry.

Stories

Stories and photos will appear here as they unfold. Some people will want their moments shared. Others will want them kept quiet. Both are honored.

How to Invite Me

Each month, I set aside 3–6 hours for this practice. There’s no fixed schedule — I donate when the right match appears.

Email: gail.manigsaca@gmail.com

I read every message. If I can help, I’ll propose a time. If I can’t, I’ll tell you why and may suggest another direction.

  • I’m based in Kingston, Ontario.

    Time Donations are in-person only. I want the face-to-face conversation, the shared space, the unmediated presence.

  • Please contact at least one week in advance so I can check my availability against work and family responsibilities.

  • Tell me:

    • Who you are (or who you’re connecting me with)

    • What you need help with (be specific — a task, a conversation, something concrete)

    • Why you think I might be the right person

    • Any constraints (timing, location, etc.)

What I Can (and Can't) Help With

I'm open to many things, but I have limits.

When in doubt, ask. I will be honest about whether I can help.

    • Specialized digital or technical tasks (web development, graphic design, etc.)

    • Mental health support or counselling

    • Caregiving to vulnerable adults and children

    • Professional services that require credentials I don't have

    • Organizing, sorting, planning

    • Conversations and presence

    • Helping with tasks where I can learn alongside you

    • Things I haven't thought of yet — surprise me

For your peace of mind:

  • I have an updated Police background check

  • I am fully immunized

I'm happy to share more details when we connect.

Trust & Safety

Privacy & Confidentiality

What happens in a Time Donation stays there — unless you choose otherwise.

If you want your story shared (with or without attribution), we’ll discuss it and I’ll get your clear consent first. If you want it kept completely private, it stays between us.

Your trust is the foundation of this practice.

    • Your name, home address, or any identifying details

    • Photos of you (unless you explicitly consent, and even then, I may blur faces or maintain anonymity)

    • What we discussed or any personal information you shared

    • The specific circumstances of your situation

    • What I learned from our time together — insights about norms, skills, culture, patterns I noticed

    • My own reflections and how the experience changed me

    • General observations that don’t identify you in any way

What This Is Not

  • Not a charity or nonprofit. This is a personal practice, not an organization.

  • Not free consulting. I'm not offering professional services. I'm offering human presence and whatever skills I happen to have.

  • Not unlimited. I have limits — time, energy, skills, boundaries. I'll say no when I need to.

  • Not about being needed. It's about being present. There's a difference.

The Philosophy

I believe in mattering — not because you're useful, not because you've settled or figured things out, but because you're here.

Time Donation is my way of practicing that belief. One hour, one person, one specific need at a time. I go in not knowing what will grow. That's the whole point.

What grows in the middle of things?

I'm finding out, one crumb at a time.

This page is a living document. It will grow as the practice grows.