Monday Matchstick Challenge #5

Sparking a sense of adventure in everyday life

Hi, I’m Holly - coach, mindfulness facilitator and author of Zestful Zen. As well as this weekly adventure challenge, I write about self-care, personal growth, mindfulness, and purpose. If you like life to be full of zest and energy, complemented by a zen, calm mind, Zestful Zen is the community for you! Join us now. ✨

Hi friends, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend (not over yet for friends in the UK, happy bank holiday!) It’s been up and down weather-wise in Brussels, but some sun among the storm clouds 🌧️

I had a lot of fun with last week’s Monday Matchstick Challenge, I hope you did too ⭐️

Our challenge was: 

Leave a gift - a note, a book - in a public place for the next visitor to find. 🎁

---

I had a bit of a hectic work week and no time for buying mini presents (shops close so early here!), so I focused on creating encouraging notes as my gifts. ✍️

Encouraging notes I left around town. Photos by author

I had a really fun time leaving them around town for strangers to find - stashed in lockers at a couple of gym branches, inside book swap boxes, and I even waterproofed some as outdoor park surprises.

I hope they bring a smile to the faces of whoever finds them - writing and stashing them certainly brought me joy. 😁

This week’s Monday Matchstick Challenge is:

Take a hike on a new trail

Photo by author, Holly Bailie

I don’t know about you, but I love a good hike, so this one will be fun, weather permitting 🤞

If hiking isn’t an option for you, how about taking a virtual tour of a national park instead?

• There are 63 parks to see in the US alone

• Check out the 15 parks in Britain

• Explore Canada by province

• Enjoy National Trust parks and properties in the UK

• For a more international flavour, browse this selection from around the world

• And I can’t miss the opportunity to plug my homeland: take a virtual trip to the Giant’s Causeway!

⭐️ Join the challenge and share your experience in the comments. 👇

I can’t wait to hear about your Sparked Adventures!

Have a magic Monday 🪄✨

What is the Monday Matchstick Challenge?

The idea is to have some fun together trying new/random things.

• Every week, I select a faux matchstick at random from the game Spark Adventure – 50 Ways to Explore and Discover, and post it to Substack.

• I try to deliver on the challenge by the end of the week, sharing my attempts/the outcome with you here. 

• Fellow Substackers also dive in, have a go and share their anecdotes.

Photo by author, Holly Bailie

If you’re new to the Monday Matchstick Challenge:

• You can read about the genesis for the challenge here: Monday Matchstick Challenge #1.

• Previous Monday Matchstick Challenge posts are available on the Zestful Zen homepage, if you’d like to have a go at igniting your sense of adventure in everyday life!

---

If you enjoyed this post, it would mean the world to me if you’d comment, hit the heart button, share with others, or subscribe to Zestful Zen for free! Thank you lovely people ✨