it's giving giving tree gosling

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hey hey you,

last week officially marked the three year mark since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world.

wild to think about my own personal change since then — getting my precious pup bowser, moving from NYC to Austin, & starting merry makery — even wilder to think about how much the world has changed since then. but wildest to think about how much we all changed during the early days of the pandemic.

no denying the horrors & tragedies of those early days, but there were also beautiful moments, where we worked together not just as individuals, but as a country & as a world.

i still get goosebumps thinking about all the new yorkers cheering out their windows at 7PM for the essential workers, how we banned together to flatten the curve, & all the creative ways we learned to live in the “new normal.”

more than ever, i felt how my choices & actions directly impacted others.

with regular news coverage of super spreader events, we were given an intense illustration of the butterfly effect.

this is the idea that the flap of a butterfly’s wings could trigger a tornado somewhere else on the planet. rooted in chaos theory & highlighting how a seemingly tiny, insignificant event may have a disproportionately large impact on the larger system.

while we can’t control a butterfly, we do have the ability through positive actions to trigger ripple effects for the better around the world, especially when we live by this week’s mindset & mission.

mindset

the mindset is giving.

a willingness to be generous, empathetic, & compassionate towards others. putting others before oneself. finding fulfillment in giving rather than receiving.

the pandemic showed us how the world can operate in a giving mindset, but we don’t always live that way despite the numerous benefits.

a mindset of giving is advantageous to all involved, directly & indirectly:

1. giving makes the giver feel good

2. giving makes the recipient feel good

3. giving fosters an abundance mindset

4. giving begets more giving

many of us were taught the concept that giving can be an extremely joyful act in the children’s book, the giving tree by shel silverstein. a book so important ryan gosling tattooed it on his left shoulder.

important to note that these same benefits apply to letter-writing! think about how you felt the last time you sent or received a card. i know that i get a dopamine & oxytocin hit every time i handwrite a letter on merry makery stationery.

mission

i’m willing to bet that the giving mindset will lead you to this accomplish this week’s mission — pay it forward.

cue the 2000 film with helen hunt & haley joel osment, where sweet trevor takes a homework assignment to heart & attempts to change the world by challenging the recipient of a favor to give favors to three others rather than paying it back.

i’m a big believer & beneficiary of paying it forward.

i would not be where i am today without the help from strangers that acted purely out of the goodness of their hearts from scholarships to travel tips to a stranger’s quips.

the best thing is that paying it forward can cost absolutely nothing:

• holding the door for someone carrying groceries

• helping someone lift their baggage into an overhead bin

• giving your presence fully to someone else

• complimenting a stranger on their outfit

• commenting words of support on a social media post

• mailing a letter to someone just cause

opportunities to give are everywhere, if you look.

musing

i can’t believe that this is newsletter #10 & this week i will hit the halfway mark of my 100 card creation challenge! i’ve learned so f*cking much during this time & i’ve so enjoyed having y’all along for the ride. your support truly means the world to me.

as i wrote this newsletter, i realized that merry makery is in the business of paying it forward, through my newsletters & through the nature of the greeting card business.

a greeting card can never truly be paid back so it must be selflessly given with no expectations around outcome (or USPS first class mail delivery time 🙃). one may only pay back a handwritten letter in kind.

i want to help you & everyone around you send more mail in order to achieve a pretty audacious personal goal.

so to do this, i’m launching a super special subscription later this week. many more exciting details to come!

i’m so pumped to be taking this to the next level so very soon. this party just keeps on getting better!

until then, take a look at these 7 new appreciation cards & act on the urge to send them to someone you’ve been meaning to thank. i’m personally drawn to “thank you for making me the person i am today” & feel the urge to send it to a couple people that really changed my life.

and of course i want to remind you, my dear reader — i treasure you endlessly,

MacK