And thanks for sharing the Dear Nina Friendship Challenge with your readers. I can’t wait to share this in my next newsletter (which will be about the June challenge, as it happens. Perfect timing!)
“At least, choose an unimportant day. Choose the least important day of your life. It will be important enough.” What a beautiful quote indeed! I feel that as the amount of free time we have dwindles when we get older and busier with work and kids, it is indeed unfortunate that we are mostly preoccupied with getting stuff done rather than meaningfully spending time with the important people in our lives. Even when we go on vacation, most people choose to go somewhere to see stuff rather than to see people—a longtime friend, perhaps, who moved away for work years ago. It is totally fine to satisfy some of those cravings for novelty (new sights, new food, new culture, etc.). I just feel that this is pretty much the default way for most people to spend their vacation time. Perhaps, every now and again, it is worth taking three PTO days to fly to Joplin, Missouri, to spend time with your friend or a family member you haven't seen in years. An occasional birthday text or a phone conversation is not a replacement for spending three days together, even if it is in the middle of nowhere with nothing interesting to see.
Definitely. I agree with you: spending time together is a primary way I prefer to connect with loved ones, and birthday wishes or distance conversations are pale substitutes. It happens that this year we're doing both: my sister lives near Washington D.C., so we're visiting here AND seeing stuff this year.
Great share Erica and happy belated birthday.
Thanks! :)
Yes! I love step two. 🙌
And thanks for sharing the Dear Nina Friendship Challenge with your readers. I can’t wait to share this in my next newsletter (which will be about the June challenge, as it happens. Perfect timing!)
“At least, choose an unimportant day. Choose the least important day of your life. It will be important enough.” What a beautiful quote indeed! I feel that as the amount of free time we have dwindles when we get older and busier with work and kids, it is indeed unfortunate that we are mostly preoccupied with getting stuff done rather than meaningfully spending time with the important people in our lives. Even when we go on vacation, most people choose to go somewhere to see stuff rather than to see people—a longtime friend, perhaps, who moved away for work years ago. It is totally fine to satisfy some of those cravings for novelty (new sights, new food, new culture, etc.). I just feel that this is pretty much the default way for most people to spend their vacation time. Perhaps, every now and again, it is worth taking three PTO days to fly to Joplin, Missouri, to spend time with your friend or a family member you haven't seen in years. An occasional birthday text or a phone conversation is not a replacement for spending three days together, even if it is in the middle of nowhere with nothing interesting to see.
Definitely. I agree with you: spending time together is a primary way I prefer to connect with loved ones, and birthday wishes or distance conversations are pale substitutes. It happens that this year we're doing both: my sister lives near Washington D.C., so we're visiting here AND seeing stuff this year.