Zendaya Simone

Greeting cards are special. When people get them in the mail they feel special, just by seeing the envelope. The message inside makes it unique and offers a special hug to the person who received the card. A card offers something personal and special, it makes a difference, yet so few people send cards anymore. Why do people not send real cards? The reasons are varied on why people do not send real cards. Some may hate going to the store to look up and down the aisle of cards trying to find that right one. Then it becomes a disappointment when the cover is perfect and the message inside fails to appeal. Then the price of the card varies so greatly. A cheap looking card may be expensive. There seems to be no logic behind the price on the back of the card. Are there other problems? Maybe you have a stack of greeting cards at home or you finally picked out a card. Writing the contents may be easy, but the problems start again. Now you must find your address book or that infamous piece of paper on which you wrote down that address. Next up is finding a stamp. Even worse is when the envelope says oversized. You stare at the oversized envelope, it is not much bigger than a normal card envelope, what are you supposed to do? Did you remember? If you are like me you want the special card to get there on or just before a birthday or other event. This means mailing it at the right time. It may vary, but typically this means a week or a bit less before the birthday, if you remember. You may remember but miss the mail delivery so then you choose to wait another day or drive out to the post office. Is it worth it? Sending a greeting card is a happy surprise. It is a special gift that can make a difference on a bad day. Even if you consider it just a piece of paper, you probably can recall a card or two that made you smile or laugh. This is the joy of a card. As simple as a card is it is a reminder of the connection between yourself and another, whether you are the sender or receiver. Now there are services that can make sending a real card as easy as sending an email, which means even more reasons to reach out to others. Learn to Say No, A Key to a Happier Life Requests for your time come in all day long, multiple times per day. People, chores, hobbies, TV, and so many more constantly eat away your day. Many parents go from involved parent to overextended. When parents are overextended they feel stressed and overwhelmed. This does not benefit you or your children. What if I like to help others? Helping others is a good thing, unless the only reason you are helping is to please them. If you say yes to things because you "can do it all;" then look at the superheroes; even they have help. Avoiding guilt is never a reason to obligate yourself to doing things that can be left for someone else to do. When should I say no? If your commitments are making you feel harried, stressed, or overwhelmed, it is time for a change. If you barely have time to breathe between activities, then it is time to cut back. Of course, changing your life is never an easy thing to do, and saying "No" can be the hardest thing to say. But you need to make a commitment to yourself first. Then set your boundaries. What about previous commitments? If your plate is already loaded, start saying no to new commitments. See if some else can help or take over some of your prior commitments. Your answer to both can be "I'm sorry, but I can't do this right now." What if I have a busy schedule? You may enjoy helping people. There may be many things you love to be involved in and doing. Perhaps there are so many things happening and you do not want to miss anything. Is there a problem with a busy schedule? The problem is that there are only 24 hours in a day and some of that time must be used for sleeping and eating. If you start cutting back on those or you jam too many things into your schedule, you will start feeling stressed. The stress affects all areas of your life, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Unfortunately if you do nothing stress can grow out of control. What do you really enjoy? Look at all things on your schedule, find the things you really enjoy. If your schedule is full of things you do not enjoy, then you need to drop those and pick up activities you enjoy. Reduce your schedule, learn to add time to relax and spend time with the people you love. You do not have to explain why, even if someone asks. Should someone insist, simply state that you do not have time right now. This is a great way to make life better.

Little River, SC