Oh, pickles!

The truth about stationery is that I haven’t been thinking a whole lot about it lately. The extent of it has involved list-making: as in, a new, updated and much longer list of people to whom I’d like to personally write notes. With pen. On paper. To say thank you. To say hello. To say I’m thinking of you. Send in mail. Beyond that, stationery is a bit on the backburner… {although I certainly do still think about getting back on track with providing updates from the fantastic Stationery Show. As mentioned, there really was some beautiful and inspiring work there that I really want to share: particularly those who haven’t been as lucky to be covered relentlessly in blog-land.}

But for now, I’ve been thinking a lot about time. How we spend it. And about love and how we show it. And particularly about being nice and how best to do that. I’m not the best at being nice all the time. But, I credit myself for at least being conscious of that fact and for at least trying, as much as I can, to be nice. It’s often not enough, and I am incredibly hard on myself when I look back and see moments when I really should have done better. But sometimes, the people I worry about even more are those who don’t even seem to try and be nice. The people I really worry about are those who can look back at a time when they weren’t nice, and not see it for what it was: not nice. That’s a little scary, to not even recognize. I don’t want to be that way.

I really believe that life can be better if we live it consciously, in awareness of our actions and the results of our actions. Again, I’m just not there yet, and may not ever be. Sometimes I spend more time thinking about it than living it, which is something I intend to try and change. I used to wear a LIVESTRONG bracelet daily; in fact, it stopped being anything to do with my cancer a long time ago, and instead started being something else altogether: a reminder to me to be aware, to literally be awake, be conscious of my actions. My friend Rachel gave me my first yellow bracelet and I would be forever grateful - I doubt she has any idea that it turned into a tool-for-being-nicer-and-more-calm. I’m probably going to get back to wearing that bracelet, because for me, a visual reminder - bright yellow - it’s like a mini-wake up call during the day. Hello? Check in! Wake up! Be nice! And would it kill you to laugh a little?!

[Beautiful Rae Dunn porcelain stones are also a fantastic "Hello? Check In!" wake-up call if you need one - such simple, elegant reminders.]