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I got married fourteen years ago and I still, for a split second, think of my cousin Honey-o whenever I take a sip out of my Crate and Barrel glasses that she gave us for our wedding. It’s a split second but nonetheless, it’s a thought. Sending her a quick text to let her know about this is what I consider a thoughtful pinch. Doesn’t it make you feel good when someone lets you know that they still have something you gave them years ago?
One of my summer projects was to clean out a huge cabinet full of photo albums and scrapbooks. I was dead set in getting rid of all scrapbooks and just keeping the pictures in a shoebox-size photo bin. As I was trying hard not to be affected by some of the awesome things that I had kept all these years, I realized that I could not just throw them away. At least not until I pinched people with them first. One particular section of the scrapbook were letters from one of my Godsons. He probably didn’t even realize how much I loved getting his letters - especially when I lived alone in Chicago. My hope is that when he reads all of these notes, he will see how sweet and young he was when he wrote them. Since then, he has matured into a wonderful man. I will send him these fifteen or so letters dating back to the 1990’s. When we are reminded of how far we’ve come, the possibilities to continue to grow are endless.
My Godson is not the only one who will be getting these nostalgic pinches from my scrapbooks. Plenty of family and friends will be receiving some of the fun things I saved. What I like to do, and sometimes my mind wants me to do way more than I am capable, is pinch a person with a quick text or a quick note to let them know, “Hey, I hung onto this because you matter to me which means this item matters to me.” It also means, “I miss you but I’m glad I have this item here with me to keep you close by.” I love both receiving and sending these types of pinches.
For example, the other day I took pictures of my birthday altar complete with my birthday banner. I purchased the banner many years ago from a friend who started her own business by selling products that she made while her twin sons took naps. I have four of these banners - one for each member in my family and whenever it’s a birthday, half birthday, first day of school or a major event, I hang up the banner to add a little festive touch to the occasion. I sent pictures of the banners to this friend of mine with a note to let her know that I miss her and I’m thinking of her. I was glad that she replied back that it were little things like my texts that keep her business going.
For birthdays, if I can get my act together ahead of time, I like to send a birthday celebrant a text with an old picture that I’ve dug up for a birthday pinch. Sometimes, I just take a picture of a picture and send it out. This rotating digital picture frame has been an awesome tool in my quest to get these pinches out. Pictures, especially oldies but goodies, always remind us of how much we’ve changed or how much we have stayed the same. I recently saw on Facebook that one of my high school friends was wishing another high school friend a happy birthday by posting an old picture of them together. I was so excited to see that it was a picture that I took of both of them almost thirty years ago. Carrie’s birthday greeting was true, my friend Shanon hadn’t aged a bit.
Maybe you don’t remember who sent you glasses for your wedding present but there are PLENTY of “things” in your home, office, car, photo albums etc that make you smile as you remember the person who gave them to you. The thought of that person could be for a split second but nonetheless, it is a thought. If you could manage to send a picture of the item and tell a friend you are grateful for it, you’re being thoughtful. Although the gesture is not extraordinary, the effect of that one quick note or thought, is amazingly powerful.
Pinches,
Barb