Friday, November 30, 2012

The December E-Mail Challenge

This week, I was sitting in my office and I overheard two co-workers talking.

No, I wasn't eavesdropping--our offices are about thisclose together.

I listened as the two of them shared deeply personal, traumatic experiences that are now happening in their lives. I thought about how these circumstances will definitely have an impact on their holiday season. I remembered what it felt like when I was there.

In the days between Thanksgiving and New Years, people expect you to be happy. You're supposed to smile--even when you don't feel like it. You're supposed to greet everyone with a hearty "Merry Christmas," even on those days when you find yourself wondering how you are even going to make it through the day.

Sometimes, life happens and the holidays aren't so happy.

Perhaps that's not your story. Maybe things are going well in your life. Bills are paid (***PRAISE BREAK***), your family is doing well and you are feeling pretty content. But every once in awhile, you have one of those days. I call them Alexander days--they are just terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad days where you feel like you can't do anything right. As you try to talk yourself through those difficult moments, you think about how nice it would be to hear a word of encouragement from one of your good friends. And sometimes, it does happen--that text message or e-mail out of nowhere from someone who just wanted you to know they were thinking about you and they appreciate you.

Shoutout to those of you who keep the Crackberry vibrating!

FBRs, that is the premise behind the December E-Mail Challenge that I've been hyping up on Facebook all week long. I don't ever want to get so caught up in my little world that I fail to take a moment to tell the people in my life what they mean to me. Besides, there's already far too much hate being spread in this world right now. I just feel like showing some love.

As for rules, there are none. Well, there's just one. Everyday in the month of December, I'll send an e-mail (or more than one) to someone in my life. After you read my e-mail and get all misty-eyed (LOL), my only request is that you pass on some encouragement to someone else. Maybe you can't commit to the whole month; maybe you aren't comfortable writing down these lovey-dovey expressions.  HOWEVER, you can take two minutes to tell someone in your life how they have affected your life in a positive way. And after you do that, send me an e-mail or a text and let me know.

Simple....but encouraging. That's who I am and that's who I will always be.

--K.