Nurturing Friendships in Adulthood: The Power of a Simple Greeting Card

One day, I was talking to my sister, and we began discussing how our relationships with our friends had changed over the years. As our girlfriends started to get married and had children, there were few opportunities for them to be present in their uncoupled or childless friends' lives. Although it wasn’t intentional, life changes created distance in relationships that once held pivotal roles in each other’s lives. Where you once acknowledged and celebrated every special moment in each other’s lives, those moments had been reduced to weddings and baby showers.

The Changing Dynamics of Female Friendships

This got me thinking about why society only deems a woman’s accomplishment worthy of celebrating when associated with another human being entering their life. What about the personal accomplishments that she makes as an individual - like the promotion at work, overcoming people pleasing, or leaving a toxic work environment to start your own business? Are these moments not worth celebrating?

The Power of the Pen

After that conversation, I began to wonder what ways women can still prioritize their relationships with their girlfriends that come without pressure. The first thing that came to mind was a handwritten note strategically placed in a greeting card.

Why are Greeting Cards a Perfect Way to Nurture Friendships?

Here are a few reasons why greeting cards are the perfect way to nurture your connections with your girlfriends when you’re unable to make it to brunch:

1. Reinforces Your Connections

There is something endearing about a handwritten note. Taking the time to sit down and put your pen to paper is an intimate act where you can express your feelings. What better way can you think of to express just how much your girlfriend(s) mean to you than with a sweet message?

2. Gives Someone Something to Open More Than a Text Message

In this technology-driven society, there aren’t many times that we slow down to take in moments that are not associated with social media. In many ways, we are on technology overload. It is exciting to go to the mailbox and see something other than bills or junk mail.

3. They are a Reminder of the Joy of Friendship

Knowing that your friends are thinking of you and still consider the value of your friendship is important, especially as we get older. We can get so inundated with every day that we forget that we enjoy people and activities outside of our mundane/repetitive lives.

4. Shows Someone You’re Thinking of Them

Sometimes our girlfriends can feel forgotten as our lives expand; why not take the time to let them know that you are thinking of them? It takes you five (5) minutes to write a handwritten note for the impact to be for a lifetime.

5. Gives Them Something to Keep

Greeting cards nowadays are more artistic and fun than those of years past. You can find some designs that are worth keeping and framing - like those from PärdēPress (www.pardepress.com), where the owner exclusively created her company to encourage girlfriends to stay connected.

Conclusion

So, the next time you think about your friends, send them a handwritten note which has a longer shelf life than a text message.