Spread the Sunshine

For the price of your morning coffee you can purchase sunshine for someone’s day. That’s right it is true. It takes very little to make someone happy on a gloomy day, a Monday, during observation week at work, or just any day. Any day that you want to make a difference in a person’s life, lift their spirits, brighten their day you can with as little as 99 cents. No, this is not a scam. It’s a ray of sunshine in an envelope that you can give just one time and you will reap the benefits for a very long time.

Have you guessed it yet? If you said a greeting card, then you’re absolutely right. Pillsbury says nothing spells loving like baking in the oven; however, that may be true, but as the cookie is eaten, the sentiment is forgotten. But a greeting card is kept, shared, etched in the person’s brain, put on display and saved forevermore in their keepsakes. It is a given that we will give our co-workers and friends sympathy cards at the unfortunate demise of one of their cherished loved ones, or congratulatory cards when they finally make their way out of the peanut gallery by bursting the company’s glass ceilings; but yet, what about just letting them know on a regular Wednesday that you depend on them. Or remind them that their smile brightens your day. Work in a hectic and stressful office?

Try purchasing a bunch of funny cards; pass them out the same day of the week every week to various people. You will never know how much fun and adventure you have created in your office. As the coworkers all await the weekly joke, they all will secretly hope that it is their time to get a bit of sunshine in an envelope. And imagine the good-willed envy when the card is given to the person right next to them.

To start a little bit of enjoyment and friendly gestures with cards cost little or nothing. All card stores have a discount section, and a section that is less than a dollar, just find several that you like and stock up. As the mood hits you can give s somebody a ray of sunshine on a gloomy day. For the most bang for your buck, stores like Wal-Mart, Target and various drugstores, such as CVS and Walgreen’s carry assorted greeting cards where you can get about ten different ones for about five dollars. Check your weekly circulars for when they put them on sale, or if you have general store coupons and stock up on the items. Another economical way to go is to shop for your greeting cards at various dollar and discount stores that you have locally. Many stores like the 99Cents Only Store and Dollar General sale very nice greeting cards in which you can get two cards for only one dollar.

Another route to take, especially if you are creative is to purchase cute blank inside note cards. This is very cost effective as you get several note cards for a low price and you can create your own wording to say what ever you like. You don’t have to be a creative genius to make this work either. Keep it simple and say things like “Work Sucks, but you make Mondays ok”, to a fun coworker, or just simply write “Smile.” Say what ever you feel and make sure that the person receiving feels it as well. Utilizing blank inside cards gives you the opportunity to finally say things that you and others have always been thinking, but have never said. Like how a coworker is always so well dressed, or who makes the best office coffee, don’t forget the ones who have smiles that brighten the office. Spend less than you spend on you weekly coffee fix and send whole lotta sunshine packed in tiny little envelopes.

by Tiffany J. Prewitt