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 |  Starting now, write and create joy and gratitude each day. |
I received this e-mail from 1-800-Flowers and thought it would be apropos here: The lazy days of summer. We think about lively beaches, outdoor concerts, cookouts with friends, sleepaway camps, family vacations and Fourth of July picnics and fireworks. Our thoughts turn this way each Memorial Day, which in addition to being a day of remembrance for fallen American military, is often celebrated as the unofficial kickoff to the summer. Creating New Traditions However, this year, it will be different. Many summer activities have already been canceled because of the pandemic. But, like all things in life, this summer will be what you make of it. It may require some creativity, but there is still fun to be had. You may not get to enjoy your annual family reunion or July 4th BBQ, but there are certainly other ways to enjoy our summer months. We're connecting with you as a 1-800-FLOWERS.COM customer because 1-800-FLOWERS.COM is a member of our Celebrations Family of brands. Our family of brands are looking forward to a summer the likes of which we have never experienced before. In the McCann family we typically spend part of our summer at the beach together. This time is special because it brings our family – children, grandchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles, and more – under one roof. There is no doubt we will miss this time to bond as a family and the long summer days spent together on the water. Nevertheless, we are choosing not to dwell on what we won't be able to do and instead welcome the opportunity to make new traditions with our family, friends, and community. We have long been avid list makers. Whether it’s for personal development or a multi-year business strategy, we believe making a plan is an important first step. Zig Ziglar, a wonderful philosopher and educator, who we admire, once said, “a goal properly set is halfway reached.” This is true in both our professional and personal lives, which have become even more intertwined in recent months due to the current pandemic. Display images to show real-time content Endless Potential We encourage you to think about what your goals are this summer, whether they are big or small, personal or work-related, and start a list of tasks you want to complete in order to reach your goal. Putting pen to paper or noting benchmarks on a calendar will help you gauge your progress and hold yourself accountable. This summer holds endless potential for growth – take out your calendar and start planning. We have been thinking about how we can grow our relationships and plan shared experiences with our friends and family this summer. With whom do you want to stay connected? Make a list of people and ask them if they would like to work on a project together. This could be something related to health and wellness – how about online yoga classes or weekly neighborhood walks? We find that as we take our neighborhood walks there is a kindness and community feel that is refreshing. Perhaps you want to focus on something to enrich your mind – partner with a child or grandchild and commit to learning a new language using online tools like Babbel or commit to reading a book every month in a virtual book club. Get Your Summer Started Now may also be the perfect time to finally turn your attention to that home-improvement project you couldn’t get to before. Turn your own backyard into a paradise by taking up gardening – enlist the kids to help design the garden for a fun family activity. You can focus on your interior space. You might try some new decorating touches that make your space work for you. Starting and finishing an indoor or outdoor project will leave you with a sense of accomplishment and pride. Yes, this summer will be different. We can let the days pass us by, or we can do our best to make it interesting and enriching. It’s up to us to decide if we’ll be focused on missing everything we can’t do — or if we’ll take advantage of the opportunity to make special memories and new traditions. Zig Ziglar also said, “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four-hour days.” Grab a pencil and get your Summer plans started! Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Jim and Chris 
The writer is the engineer of the human soul. |
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