One day, when I finished raising money for a charity(慈善机构) and was on the train back home, I put down my phone and started writing thank-you notes to people who helped me.
When I got off the train, I felt really good. The next day, I wrote more thank-you notes and the same feeling of happiness hit me again. I suddenly had an idea: Why not keep on doing this for every day of the year?
To keep on this task, I decided to pick out a different theme for each month. January was charity. February would be neighbor. And many names came to my mind right away.
While writing the notes, I realized I spent too much time on the phone moving from app to app, enjoying other people's lives. Writing thank-you notes gave me the time to do something different, paying more attention to my own life.
In the following months, I wrote to my friends, doctors and teachers. In July, my "food" month came, so I wrote to Julie, who used to cook at my favorite restaurant. It went like this:
Dear Julie,
I find myself missing you lately. Thank you for hosting and cooking delicious food. Jake and I will never forget the cake you made for our wedding. We talk about it every year.
Thank you. We miss you.
Love,
Gina
I was happy to receive a note back from her. Julie replied, "I don't think I've ever received such a touching letter before. I'm going through a hard time right now, and this helps me a lot."
On December 31st, I wrote my last card —— to Jake, my husband and our two kids. And I took a picture of us, so that I could remember the feeling coming up inside me-gratitude (感恩).