Mother's Day has passed and Father's Day is just around the corner. All your friends are graduating and leaving you behind, or even worse you're graduating and have to say farewell to all of your best pals. It's time to spread the love! There's no quicker way to brighten a person's day, week, or month than letting him or her know how much you appreciate them. Affection and public affirmation can be hard, but watering those seeds in your relationships is essential to watching them grow. Here are ten unique and creative ways to make that special someone in your life feel appreciated:
1. Ask to hear their life story.
Everybody goes to Starbucks and everybody texts. Everybody goes to the mall and everybody has sleepovers. Asking someone about their life is asking them to be personal and vulnerable. Asking someone about their life communicates that you care enough to know about their history. It communicates to that special someone that they are of enormous value to you, and that you want to know them better. Everyone goes out to coffee, but who is willing to sit and listen, as long as it takes? Listening to someone's life story is a way of sharing their soul, and it is the epitome of appreciation for another person.
2. Invite them to try something new with you.
Have you ever been to your local Farmer's Market? Is there an interesting exhibit coming to your art museum? Invite them to come with you! Trying something new is a great way to share memories with someone as well as making them feel as if they're the person you'd want to have an adventure with. Plus, the possibilities are endless! Film festivals, gallery hops, restaurant openings, go for infinity and beyond!
3. Make them a mix tape.
Mix tapes are becoming a lost art form. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and finesse to make an acceptable mix tape. But whenever they listen to your mix tape they'll think of you and all the effort you put into it! If you're short on physical CD's or something, then settle for making them a Spotify playlist. It's not exactly the same, but it can be a lot more accessible.
4. Bake them something.
Baking a batch of cookies or a loaf of banana bread is a gift that has love put into it. Baking with your hands says a lot more than going to the store and buying a box of mini muffins. It's worth the effort, plus someone has to taste everything right? It's a win-win situation.
5. Send something in the mail.
Emails and texts can say anything in the world, but there's something about receiving a package or a letter with a stamp. When you see that stamp, your heart races, and the sensation of cutting through tape or sliding your fingers into an envelope is unlike any other. Snail mail still has its charm.
6. Post your favorite memory of them on Instagram or Facebook.
This sounds incredibly simple, but it declares to the world how much you value that person. It's also on the internet forever, once you post about them, you can't take it back. Imagine how big your smile would be if when you checked your Instagram and there were tons of notifications from a post about how amazing you are.
7. Text them every time you see something that reminds you of them for a few days.
I do this one with my roommate on a regular basis and I text her whenever I see a dog. It makes her smile, it makes me smile, it sparks a conversation, and dogs are great. What more reason do you need?
8. Give them a care package.
Go raid the Dollar Spot at Target. Get a couple of things, a candy bar, a miniature candle, a new set of pencils, whatever; and throw it in a 75 cent gift bag. You can give them things they don't need, and you can even give them things they don't want! But it's the thought that counts, and they'll want to tell everyone they know about the sweet little package their special someone gave them the other day. A gift that cost a dollar is still a gift worth treasuring.
9. Take them on a picnic.
As Ferris Bueller once said, it's a crime to waste a beautiful day. Go outdoors, sit in the grass, and squeal when bugs fly in your hair. Even if all your eating is a bag of chips and a Dr. Pepper from the gas station, a little Vitamin D is good for the soul and good for friendships.
10. Take them to the movies, buy their ticket and all of their snacks.
We go to the movies all the time. But how often do you go to the movies for free and get the nachos and the large Icee? Not as often, I'd bet. It doesn't matter what movie the two of you are seeing, they'll have a blast at that point. Even if all you did is buy the smallest popcorn size, they'll feel appreciated and will most likely want to return the kindness.
And isn't that what this is all about? Returning kindness? There's plenty to appreciate in our lives, so take the time and pay it forward.
