Reconnect with your People
DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY TERMS OF USE POLICY FOR MORE INFO.
I’m not sure when we all became too busy to get together anymore. It used to be like, “Hey, wanna hang out tonight?” And miraculously we all could make it.
Now it’s like, “Hey, wanna hang out sometime?” And the response is, “I’ve got a two hour window in six weeks. Will that work?”
With all of us in the grind and living the busy, we have to find other ways to keep in touch.
So here’s what I’ve got for you: A whole list of great, quick, easy ways to stay in touch. All I can think of is the Beatles:
And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make
Spread the love, friends.
Send the Text
It happens to me ALL the time. I think of someone and say to myself, “I should send them a text.” And then I’m onto the next thing and I don’t. PEOPLE. It takes 15 seconds to send that text. Here’s what it needs to say:
“Hey! You’ve been on my mind. Just wanted to let you know I’m thinking about you!”
There’s no pressure for them to respond, there’s no pressure for a long reply - it’s just a mini love note putting good vibes into the world.
2. Set a Reminder
Every Sunday morning I get a reminder on my phone to “Check In With a Friend.” I’ve had it for probably five years now. I could delete it, because now checking in has become a habit, but I like seeing it pop up.
“Checking in” just means completing number 1 above. Send an intentional text and check in with someone you care about.
3. Remember Their Birthday
Do you have a perpetual calendar yet? Mine hangs in the kitchen and each time I walk by I send positive thoughts to those whose birthday month it is.
My family also has this incredible tradition of singing “Happy Birthday” and sending it in a video, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea (just ask my brother in law, Ha!) So again, send the 15 second text or do the Facebook post or whatever your thing is, but celebrate the fact that this person was born.
They’re in your life and that is such a wonderful thing!
4. Send REAL Mail
You know that feeling when you get your mail and you’re shuffling through it and you find a real card (not a bill) with real handwriting (not typed) in a real envelope (not a #10 business envelope)? That warm, fuzzy feeling that reminds you that someone cares about you? The anticipation of getting to read a message that was meant for YOU and not mass produced and sent to 5 million people?
Yeah, give that feeling to someone you love.
You can go and buy a card from the nearest corner pharmacy, or buy yourself some pretty stationary and send it out. I’m in the process of developing eco-friendly Bottling Sunshine stationary and then maybe you can buy some here!
One of my other favorite things is to invest in a personalized return address stamp. You may have to wait to do this until you’re settled in one spot for awhile, but my return address stamp is a circle and my friends have told me that they see that circle and say, “Oh! A card from Jess!”
5. “Money is Never Wasted on Fresh Flowers.”
In one of my classes in grad school I had this incredible TA, Jonathan, who was in his seventies. Yes, TA-ing was his second or third act, and man did he impart a lot of wisdom on all of us.
One of my favorite messages of his was how, “money is never wasted on fresh flowers.” He would buy flowers for the secretaries on campus, for no reason other than to put something beautiful on their desks and remind them that someone saw how hard they were working.
