Happy birthday to meeee! Heehee.
Yesterday was my 31st birthday. It was an absolutely beautiful day, filled with simple pleasures, handwritten letters, music, hugs, cuddles... you know. All the best sorts of things.
The day began
with warm, flaky, buttery biscuits (made by my boyfriend, Brandon, a talented baker / chef / resident biscuit guru) and then culminated with snuggles on the couch while we watched a sappy romantic movie. Brandon also made me an epic salted caramel chocolate cake. I am truly sorry that I can't send you a slice via email because this cake was... beyond words.
I could not imagine a lovelier
birthday here in rainy Portland. It may sound cheesy and cliche (cheese-che?) but I feel so incredibly grateful to be alive.
(I also love how my birthday sorta coincides with New Year's Eve. It's only a couple weeks earlier. Here's to a beautiful new year of life—for all of us!)
Also, as
promised, I have a birthday surprise for you!
It's a free digital booklet called: Email Is Wonderful.
You can download it here.
What on earth is this, you ask?
Inside, I touch upon topics like...
— How to write emails that are clear, strong, and intentional.
— How to write emails to busy people and captivate their attention.
— How to add extra pizzaz and personality to your emails.
— How to create personal policies and boundaries so that email doesn't overwhelm your day.
— And more.
The book contains lots of writing tips, of course, but the deeper message that I'm trying to convey (hopefully,
successfully!) is that email doesn't have to be a "burden," a "chore" or a horrible "time suck." With the right attitude and approach, email can be a miraculous tool. It's a tool that you can use to make a difference in someone else's day. A tool that you can use to share your best ideas, instantly and infinitely. A tool that you can use to make someone smile, think, laugh, dream bigger, or feel motivated to keep trying. A tool that you can use to "add to the love in the world."
I think email is wonderful and after reading this book, I hope you'll agree—and I hope you'll feel inspired to use email in all sorts of positive,
encouraging, creative ways, this year, next year, and beyond. Enjoy the book!
Briefly, before I say farewell for today...
— I wrote a holiday gift guide with 15 gift ideas that (primarily) involve creating meaningful experiences for yourself and others, rather than just buying "stuff." I hope you enjoy it!
— If you missed my earlier announcement, I'm throwing a letter-writing & brunch party in
Portland later this month. Here's the info. Stop by if you like!
And with that, I am heading off to the gym to do a celebratory "31 workout," in honor of being 31 years old. 31
minutes on the elliptical... 31 crunches... 31 jumping jacks... 31 squats... and so forth. Whoooo! (Side note: I have imbibed approximately 31 ounces of black coffee today... which may explain some of my current ebullience.)