The Mailbox Chronicles: Let Them Eat Cake
Who doesn't love some good snail mail?
I have been giving a lot of thought lately to the art of communication. How we connect with each other and forge relationships despite (or with the help of?) all the noise. It seems easier than ever to communicate-txts fly back and forth, emails get sent in an instant...so why do we sometimes feel so disconnected?
Fully aware that I am 100% guilty of this myself. Shooting a quick text instead of picking up the phone, sending an email instead of writing the letter. So, as a bit of discipline for myself, I am setting the goal of sending out good ol' snail mail once a week. I know that this is NOT a lofty benchmark, but thought I would start small (why, why, why is it so hard to get a silly stamp on that envelope and in the mailbox?!).
The challenge is to be intentional about communicating through a card with someone who could use a hello, birthday greeting, or thank you. Hopefully, it will also create an opportunity for me to be grateful for the people in my life and pray over each of their individual hurts/celebrations.
First up: my friend Lisa's birthday. Her special day is today and I thought this card was perfect for her. Fun and whimsical wrapped into one.
I met Lisa a couple years ago. She was actually a client that I worked with on a recruiting project. I still remember the night I felt like we transitioned from people who were working together to friends. She had called to discuss a candidate and I could hear her kids giggling in the background. Knowing she loved being a mama so it was adorable to hear this. At one point, shrieks filled the air and she was said, "Oh my gosh, hold on..."
Come to find out, her son had grabbed the hose by the sink and proceeded to spray water all over their kitchen. We shared a good laugh and the chat ended with her asking, "Not sure if this is weird but would you ever like to get lunch with me?" Since, we have shared many lunches, adventures, and great conversations about career, life, family, and everything in between.
For those of you that don't know her, Lisa is equal parts boss lady, mentor, wife, mama, foodie, and HR guru. You feel like you are on this special adventure when you're with her (not to mention she always has a killer story to share).
Lisa is a dear friend and incredible individual. She loves hard and is the biggest cheerleader for the people in her life. She has been my sounding board many times when I need a good vent and always offers some kind of wisdom in response. She empathetically sits with you in your frustration, but doesn't let you wallow in it. Any of our conversations of this nature have ended with her saying, "I'm so sorry...so what are we going to do about it? What can I do?"
So, cheers to you sister friend. Thanks for being someone that I love, respect, and have the best freaking time with. I hope your day is full of pineapple themed products, your sweet family, and almond cookies from Mazzo...
Friends: come on this adventure with me. Set some kind of snail mail goal for yourself. Think of how thrilled you are when you receive something other than a bill or junk mail. You could be an agent of that little dose of happy for someone else...(slash help us all unglue from those phones a bit and get back to one of the most simple joys of life).
A HUGE thank you to Design Design in Grand Rapids for collaborating with me on this fun series. Make sure to check out their site for anything from darling greeting cards, pens (like the ones above) to paper products for your next party. Stay tuned...more mailbox magic to come!
Sincerely,
Ashley