#InCoWriMo: Just start

I've fallen out of a lot of habits so far this year. My weekly thank you note is one that I'm barely clinging on to. Every time that alarm goes off, excuses appear like the dust bunnies that manage to evade the broom every time I clean the kitchen. I didn't even know they were there, hiding deep in the corners, but they clutter up my thoughts.

I don't have time right now.

I sent a note to that person a few weeks ago. It would be weird if she got another card.

I'm out of stamps.

I don't have a small gift. The note is not worth it on its own.

When I'm not practicing gratitude regularly, I forget that many times, these thank you notes are less for the person receiving it and more about recognizing the wonderful people in my life. I also forget that these notes might bring a bit of light to an otherwise dark day. That person crossed my mind for a reason -- possibly because of something they need to hear and possibly because of something I need to understand.

February is International Correspondence Writing Month, or InCoWriMo if you are in to abbreviations. This is the kick in the pants that got me writing more regularly, if only just for a few weeks. The core idea is to write one person a day for the month of February. It can be as simple as writing to yourself or penning a quick note to your sister. There is even a list of companies and famous people who have offered their addresses for InCoWriMo.

If you are looking for ways to bring more gratitude into your life, or would just like to add a little more analog to your day, consider participating in InCoWriMo. If you think no one would enjoy getting a letter from you, send one to me. It's been too long since I got something in the mail that was handwritten. It would truly brighten my day.

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This week's Thank You: The door closer

I have a reminder that goes off each Monday at 8:30am. The reminder says "Write a Thank You Note". I work in a large building, housing several hundred employees during our peak rush season. A large portion of the building is our warehouse, with conveyor belts whirring and totes strolling their merry way to the shipping stations. Within this large building, I work in an open configuration of desks and cubes in a fairly quiet area. Fairly quiet, that is, when the door to the room is closed. That door maintains the balance between concentration-enhancing white noise and a cacophony of heavy steps on concrete, snippets of conversation and the buzz of machinery. Maybe because my desk is closest to that door, or perhaps because I have the concentration of a gnat while I'm procrastinating, but my productivity drops to sloth-like levels when the door is left open by unaware (or less distraction-prone) co-workers. Many times have I looked at the door left ajar, will...

When in doubt, add chocolate

Gifts by Polly Goncalves on Flicker CC BY NC In another installment of things I didn't actually know existed, February 17 was Random Acts of Kindness day. A day devoted to small tokens of appreciation to people you know, barely know or who are complete strangers. I like to think of thank you notes often as random acts of kindness. People don't often realize the impact their positive attitude, willingness to help or simple gestures have on the people around them, so a hand-written thank you note many times appear random. While I honestly believe most people enjoy the unexpected surprise of a hand-written note, sometimes I feel like a small gift included with those notes makes the surprise even better. I've gotten in the habit of including a little something extra when I can, especially for those notes that are hand delivered. Here are a few of my favorites: Chocolate: High-quality, individually wrapped candies such as Ghirardelli or Godiva are pretty easy to come b...

It's All About Style

I'm a terrible sister. The fact that I haven't talked to my sister in months in no way means I don't care about her, her life or my nephew's latest Evel Knievel stunt. I blame a lot of things for my lack of talk-talk with my sister -- crazy schedules, current addiction to social networking sites, Harry Potter. But I think the real reason is much more psychological (aren't all the good reasons psychological?). Communication style. I'm a writer. She's a talker. I pick up a pen and paper or a keyboard. She picks up the phone. I think to talk. She talks to think. We are opposite communicators and therefore we have trouble connecting. This happens in all facets of life. Your boss. Your coworker. Your friends. Your lover. People communicate differently and unless you can give them information in the medium they digest it best, they probably will only get half the story. But if you can pick up on and cater to those communication styles, you are much more likely to ...

A Note of Thanks

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