Don’t send me a thank you card.
I know this one is gonna trigger my good manners people. Its not that we do not know about or practice good manners in my family but this one gets a little sticky for me and if you take the time to read to the end you may get why.

If I GIVE a gift of any kind to someone its because I want them to have it with no strings attached. Its not to get a thankyou card.
After my dad passed, I was exhausted. My brain was grieving and reliving three years of trauma watching him slowly decline and all the shit that went with it. On top of several other deaths I have walked through this year. Trying to do thankyou cards was honestly excruciating to try to keep everything straight. Some people received one some people got three some didn’t get any. I do not ever want someone to think about a thank you card after a death. If I send flowers or money for a memorial or to help the family or drop off food that’s all I want to do. Save a tree don’t send one to me. I will take a hug next time I see you if your up for it 😊 but that’s not necessary either.

All these teens around me are graduating and I am so happy for Venmo. I can send them some play cash and be on my way with the day smiling knowing how good they probably feel to have school behind them. Ok that is how I felt at graduation, but I digress. GO HAVE FUN. Go find an apartment. Go put the money in savings for a later date. START your life. I don’t need the obligatory thank you card that I know dang well you don’t want to write anyway. I don’t like that obligation energy where appreciation is meant to be. Send a text in your graduation gown. I am into that! Post photos on social media so I can see your happiness and relief that you did it. Enjoy that moment. I will catch up with you and if you want to throw a thank you out great if you don’t remember I’m gonna come in for a hug anyways so I get what I want 😊

If your sick and we send care packages or things to help you along. You better not spend one ounce of energy on sending me a thank you card when you should be putting that energy into HEALING YOURSELF. Not one. Let us shower you with support because its probably one of the things you’re learning to do is RECEIVE support and help so let us do that. The card can stay in its pretty little package. Better yet save your cash and that tree and don’t send one to me.

Now all that said…..sometimes we really want to express our gratitude. I LOVE that. LOVE IT. Obligation tends to follow thank you cards for some people. Gratitude tends to follow a heart felt feeling of joy that has filled you up in some way that you often can’t find words for it. A simply thank you doesn’t do the trick. A handwritten note does. I love those kinds of thank you notes if they are written simply out of inspiration from your spirit. I have written notes, send flowers, bought gifts, all sorts of different things when expressing my gratitude. I don’t want someone to not spread gratitude around the world. I just don’t want obligation thank you notes. Can you feel the difference? Follow the energy of each action.

Obligation yuck. Appreciation yes! I have had people call me wondering where the thank you card is. I usually just offer the gift back. If that is why you are sending me something? No thank you.

If you love to send them and its fun for you SEND THEM. I used to love sending cards to people. These days I just reach out personally instead, but I do appreciate a good card at times. Thank you cards are deep patterns of obligation and guilt sometimes and I get the tradition of them as well. If you are a thank you card person I have no beefs with you. Just keep the guilt and obligation energy out of it.

Appreciation and gratitude grow when it comes from the real place of gratitude. It took me a long time to really feel what that felt like and what that energy was about. It used to be tied in with guilt and obligation and I had to learn to untie those energies from each other. They don’t fit well together my friends.

Today think about something or someone you TRULY feel gratitude for. See what your spirit says to let them know about that appreciation. You may find a fun little tradition you can start yourself when its time to share some gratitude.