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November 8, 2011 by Anya Elise

spreading the love || More Love Letters

I was nervous.

Nervous that my words wouldn’t come across like I’d intended. Nervous as I imagined a stranger reading them.

Biting my lip in that nervous way I sometimes do, I dropped the letter into the mailbox. And then I took a deep breath.

Hannah Brencher started writing love letters while on a subway in New York City. With heart and compassion, she wrote some uplifting, lovely words onto a piece of paper, folded it up, and left it anonymously on the seat as she left.

Hundreds of love letters later – left all over New York, in coffee shops, trains, and on tables, all for the purpose of spreading a little joy – Hannah decided to recruit others to join her mission. She started a web site – moreloveletters.com – to coordinate and inspire other writers. She encouraged them to pledge to leave letters in their own towns, and then she started taking calls for specific, monthly Love Letter Missions.

In reading about Hannah’s zeal for pumping love back into the world, I decided to join one such monthly mission. This one called for letters to be sent to a young woman expecting her first child. This woman didn’t have much family support, and needed to know, now more than ever, that people were pulling for her. Even if those people had never even met her.

I wrote one such letter to Briana, sent it off to Hannah’s P.O. box and into her capable hands to bundle up and deliver.

And though I was nervous as I dropped it into that mailbox, I also felt a little twinge of fulfillment. This small action made me feel substantial. Even though it was such a tiny gesture, I felt like I was contributing a piece of myself. The kind of piece that can’t always be conveyed over social media.

Several weeks later, Hannah posted an update about the Briana Love Letter Mission bundle on the More Love Letters blog. And my little letter made a cameo appearance.

And it felt good to know the words I’d poured onto that page could mean something to someone else.

Now, I receive Love Letter Requests in my inbox once a month for bundles similar to that which was sent to Briana. It only takes five minutes to write a piece of yourself full of compassion onto the page. And who knows how that gesture will affect the receiver.

It could make all the difference on those days that seem to conspire against you. It could remind them that they aren’t as isolated as it sometimes feels.

I decided to put the More Love Letters badge Hannah created on my blog here. Over to the right —-> see it up there? Clicking on it will direct you right on over to her site. I definitely encourage you to consider signing up for the monthly Love Letter newsletter and get involved too. As the holidays approach, it’s a great way to give back in a tangible, loving way. Sign up here.

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March 31, 2011 by Anya Elise

Grace || A little story

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A good friend told me this story when we met for coffee this morning:

She was recently at an interview for a position working with pre-K kids. One little girl, about 4 years old, ran up to my friend and said, “Hi! What’s your name?”

“Hi,” she replied. “My name is Grace.”

The little girl’s face fell. Her countenance grew confused, then astounded, then froze. She said nothing.

The teacher Grace was there interviewing with smiled at the young child and prodded gently, “Well, what’s your name?”

A pause.

Then, “But…my name is Grace!”

Until that moment, it had never occurred to Little Grace that anyone else in the whole world also had her name.

First of all, kids are awesome.

But second, I couldn’t help but think: What an earth-shattering, existential-crisis-sort of moment that must have been for her.

It got me wondering, when was the last time I had such a moment? When was the last time I allowed myself to have such a moment?

I think we do our best to shield ourselves from the unexpected. Safety from the unknown is key.

But sometimes, it’s good and necessary to be put in uncomfortable, intimidating, earth-shattering moments. It’s in those instances that we grow and learn most rapidly.

When was the first time you were confronted with the fact that someone else had your name?

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March 16, 2011 by Anya Elise

Looking back || Retroactive thoughts

Would you change anything if you could go back in time?

If you could turn around and look your past self in the eyes, what would you tell that version of you?

Would you tell them to step lightly? Or plow ahead with abandon?

Would you correct the course of past mistakes and change the outcome, or let the event unfold exactly as it did before?

Do you have regrets?

Do you find yourself looking in the (metaphorical) rear view mirror, wondering what you missed?

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February 28, 2011 by Anya Elise

Questions, answers, the plan || The Colorado Campaign

Do you ever run across a phrase or expression that you use in every day conversation, but when met with the task of spelling it out you realize you have no idea how to do so?

This happens to me more than I’d like to admit.

For instance, this one: “Hear, hear.”

I had a moment this morning when no variation of this phrase looked correct and it seemed the only way to determine the answer was to call the creepy Watson robot of Jeopardy fame and ask him: “Hear, hear or Here, here?”

“Hear, hear,” seems strange. Like a call intended to alert you to my auditory abilities. “I hear you! I hear you!”

“Here, here,” is equally strange. Like a grade school, playground cry of, “Pick me, pick me!” Or: “I’m here, notice me – here! Here!” Though that interpretation might be more of my middle child syndrome rearing its ugly head.

It happens.

The point is, instead of living in confusion any longer, I did what people do and Googled it.

Hear, hear is an expression used as a short repeated form of hear him, hear him. It represents a listener’s agreement with the point being made by a speaker. (source)

So there you go. Let the confusion be conquered.

The larger point is, this little grammar lesson has nothing to do with the purpose of this post.

Sorry to put you through this.

Last week I invited you all to join me in a new, collaborative project I’ve termed, “The Colorado Campaign.” In just a few days, response has been outstanding. You guys and your enthusiasm is inspiring.

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