Card Therapy

I’ve got a confession to make. One of my dream jobs as a child was to be the copywriter for Hallmark or some other greeting card company. I know it sounds cheesy. But I had always been drawn to Greeting Cards. There is something about articulating for other people, what they cannot put into words. But as I grew older, I found it more difficult to find cards saying what I wished to say. Just the same, I still shop for greeting cards for friend’s birthdays, for Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. When I find the perfect one, I immediately buy them even if the holidays is still months away.

But recently, I started doing something for the first time. I bought myself a birthday card. It’s still months till my birthday, but it captured the perfect wish for my upcoming milestone. Two weeks ago, as I was buying a few last minute toiletries before a trip, I chanced upon a few greeting cards in grocery. I was looking for a Thank You card for a friend. There were no Thank You cards I liked. But I found Hallmark Cards using songs by the Beatles.

The past year has been immensely challenging for my friend. Her family has been faced with two deaths, one accident, and a terminal illness. But my dear friend had handled, and continues to handle it with so much grace and strength. In the words of Lennon and McCartney’s song, Let It Be, I found the words to express to encourage her to keep going.

Then, I saw another Beatles card. It read: “All your life, you were waiting for this moment to arise.”

When I opened it, it read, “The waiting is over. FLY!”

I needed to hear those very words. The greeting card simply had words from a song, but it captured the very motivation I needed. For P37.00 (That’s less than US$1), my spirit was lifted. Then, at the right time, I got scribbled a message to myself. “Dear Maida,… “ I wrote how I felt and I also wrote what dreams I wanted to accomplish.

We may be good cheerleaders to our friends, to our family, and our loved ones. But sadly, we are often hard on ourselves. We don’t write love notes or encouraging words to boost our morale. There is something empowering about buying yourself the perfect card and writing yourself a personalized note.

So, if you find yourself needing an extra boost this week, hit the bookstore and buy a greeting card for yourself. You will be surprised at a how good it feels. While you’re at it, buy an encouraging card to a friend or family member who may need it.

Have a great week ahead!

Maida’s Touch- Feeding Restless Appetites

Copyright.MaidaPineda.2015