“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.” ~ Douglas Pagels
Today I have a small challenge for you. It will only take five minutes, although you’re welcome to spend longer.
My challenge goes like this:
- Take 5 minutes out of your busy day.
- Fetch yourself a delicious beverage – a cup of tea, a good coffee, a cold juice, sparkly water, a glass of wine – whatever works for you.
- Connect with a friend or loved one. The rules of connection are these: it can be in person, a phone call, or a letter. (That’s right, a letter, written by hand, on paper, so that you can pop a stamp on it and send it through the post. Email, facebooking and texting don’t count.)
- If you’re connecting in person invite your friend along to enjoy a beverage with you. Or use your five minutes to call them and organise a face-to-face meet up sometime soon.
- If you’re connecting by phone (or skype!) sit somewhere with your beverage of choice, make that call and enjoy a quick catch-up. Aim to put a smile on someone’s face. Reach out for the joy of hearing another’s voice and sharing your news.
- If you’re connecting by letter, enjoy the simple act of putting pen to paper. Letters can be funny, warm, wise, newsy, deep or full of scribbled pictures and snippets of poetry. Who doesn’t love getting a letter in their mail box? Maybe you’ll be lucky and get one in return. Older people and children especially seem to appreciate letters. Lovers do too. Who can you surprise and delight with one of your letters?
Taking five minutes to connect with the ‘human touch’ is one of the simplest and most powerful acts you can take to maintain relationships. It also alleviates social isolation, one of the leading causes of depression.
I hope you can find that five minutes to take up my challenge. In fact, I dare you to make it a regular part of your life! Much love to you, Nicole ❤ xx
