I didn’t make any resolutions this year, and I wasn’t even going to choose a word of the year. But one word kept presenting itself to me and practically demanded becoming my mantra this year – intentional.
Living with intention means acting with purpose, not just reacting to whatever life throws your way. Imagine your ideal life and start making intentional decisions to get yourself there!
One area of life I want to be more intentional with is nurturing my connection with my friends and family. I have always been in love with snail mail (who doesn’t love getting letters?), but a few weeks I received a card in the mail that got my wheels turning. One of my blogging friends sent me a card just because; to encourage me and let me know she was thinking of me. It was such a simple gesture but it truly made my day.
I’ve decided that in 2019 I’m going to send cards and letters to important people in my life on a regular basis. To keep track of who and when I am mailing things to I am using an Erin Condren Metallic Monthly Deskpad. I love the beautiful, foiled colors! Not only does it look nice sitting on my desk, it’s a visible reminder of birthday cards I need to mail, and letters I want to send.
In the sidebar I keep track of letters I want to send – like monthly correspondence with the child we sponsor through Compassion, thank you notes I want to send, and any other correspondence I want to make sure happens that month. There is a HUGE sheet of awesome stickers that come with this calendar, and the Erin Condren Colorful Dual-Tip Markers are the perfect tool to not only write on the calendar, but also to write your correspondence.
One intentional choice that makes this whole process easy is keeping various cards on hand at all times. I love the Erin Condren All Occassion Stationery Set for this! The cards have metallic, inspirational quotes on them for all occasions and come in their own box with dividers to store and keep them organized! They also have envelopes and seals for each card, so I always have the appropriate card on hand for any occasion that comes up.
While I love sending a happy birthday, or thinking of you card, my real love is writing letters. I use the Erin Condren Personalized Notecards for shorter letters (these come with stamps and seals, plus they come with a storage container!), and the 2 pack of notepads for longer ones. I prefer the medium size for letters, and I couldn’t resist this beautiful Green Wedding Shoes Glam pattern. There are TONS of different designs that you can customize and personalize, and even choose lined or unlined. I also like that you can attach these notepads to the back cover of your planner. Matching address labels complete the set! Mine are the large circle option, but you can also customize and personalize these!
Who am I writing these letters and cards to? I write my grandma a couple of times per month. She lives less than an hour away from me and I see her on a regular basis, but I sent her a note a few years ago and she loved it so much I have continued the habit. One of my good friends moved to Ireland a year ago, and while we text and message the time difference can make it tough. She said she loves getting mail from home, so we have become penpals and write back and forth regularly now. I’m also choosing 3 random people from my address book to send encouragement cards to.
Do you want to be more intentional with how you spend your time and cultivate relationships? I would encourage you to make it a habit to drop someone a card or letter on a regular basis. While staying in touch is easier than ever with our current technology, actual relationships are nurtured through intentional, thoughtful actions like sending a letter.
