Positive self-talk can be a struggle in today’s busy world, so wouldn’t it be nice if you could have positive messages sent right to your mailbox?
Sapperton resident Jen Arbo received a neighbourhood small grant from the Vancouver Foundation to do just that – send a wee bit of positivity to your future self.
Arbo and a friend were making cards one day and the friend mentioned the idea of sending a positive message or reflection to your future self, kind of like a time-capsule full of love.
“(My friend) actually suggested that it would make a really fun project to do a bit of a card to yourself where the idea is you write some sort of encouraging thing or self-reflective thing and then someone else saves it for five years and then mails it to you,” she said.
Arbo jumped on the idea and figured the best way to get it done would be with a grant from the neighbourhood small grant program run by the Vancouver Foundation. Her application was approved and once she secured some free space, donated by River Market, she set about planning the event.
The New West Love Letter to Myself event is a three-session project that requires no skills (there will be helpers on site to assist with the card making), no fees and no registration – just show up and have fun.
“This is a really nice way to kind of reflect without it being a Facebook post or Twitter post,” she said. “Card making is certainly not something I’m an expert in but it is something I enjoy because I like working with (my) hands and that slow pace.”
Plus, it’s fun to send a card in the mail, she added.
This isn’t the first time Arbo has organized an event through the neighbourhood small grants program but she hopes this one will have a far more reaching effect than the previous ones.
“I’m hoping people will try something new that they haven’t done before, either making the card itself and also that people will stop and take a moment to reflect on something that is going on in their life right now that they want to capture in time five years from now,” she said.
The first two sessions are on Tuesday, Sept. 23 and Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. and the third session, which Arbo predicts will be the busiest, is on Saturday, Sept. 27 from noon to 4 p.m. The sessions are open to all ages and take place at River Market and are limited to 100 participants.
There is no rigid structure to the event and anyone interested is encouraged to stop by anytime during one of the three sessions to make a card. There are only enough stamps for 300 people, so once they hit that number, Arbo said she will likely pack up – so come early.
For more information on the event, visit newwestlovelettertomyself.tumblr.com.
