this video should be mandatory learning

Read time: 3 minutes

hey spring chicken,

something about this season — the warmth, flowers, sunshine, greenery, shedding of layers — takes my breath away & makes me think about how

life is just so damn beautiful

this feeling makes me think of my all-time favorite youtube video

one that i listened to on repeat while working late on projects that drained me

it’s a commencement speech from a famous author that i learned about as a high school senior. looking back now i don’t know how my very young to life self already felt the meaning in the words, but i did & i still get goose bumps every time i watch the video

i linked in the mission as it’s part of your homework this week ✏️

mindset

this week let’s remember that life is fleeting

everything is temporary — the good, the bad, & the ugly

here one moment & gone the next

like waves crashing on the shore, the feeling of holding a cup of hot coffee, a bird flying in the breeze, an unexpected cold, the laughter shared with friends, a rainbow after a rainstorm, a rush hour commute, the moment a baby learns to smile, a toddler screaming for an unknown reason, a hug from a loved one, the moments of awe when traveling somewhere new, even the brief pause between an inhale & an exhale.

all of these moments are gone in instant

yet we so often get caught up in the day-to-day hustle & bustle of life that we forget to savor these small moments

we get trapped in the “busy” & forget to be

we miss so many moments & opportunities to create memories

once we feel the fleeting nature of life, we realize how every moment presents new opportunities to create memories that last even longer than the moment ever could.

mission

with acceptance of this impermanence, we are given the power to choose how & what we think

this is the concept beautifully illustrated in my all-time favorite video slash speech

“this is water” by david foster wallace

i beg you to please give yourself the gift of this ten minute watch.

i promise it will shift your entire day & maybe even your life

tl;dw life is what we make of it

we get to decide what does & doesn’t have meaning, but we have to actively CHOOSE

our default setting is to think that the world is all about me & if we don’t deliberately choose to change this thought, we will find a million reasons to be miserable

the choice of what we think & how we live is ours

a choice that we alone control

so do you want to cherish every person & moment? or just fast forward through the gift of life?

musing

merry makery is all about helping you slow down to savor these small moments that give life meaning

i want you to get as much from the gift of the present as possible while giving it away this gift to others

i’m 13 editions aka weeks into writing this newsletter and i currently feel that the mmm structure isn’t serving this purpose as well as it could. i’m brainstorming a few other options based on my learnings from the past quarter.

as always, if you have thoughts on how i can help you & your community more please reply here as i personally respond to every email

while i work on ways to make it easy for you to live this mission, i want to remind you that a handwritten note is truly one of the easiest & most meaningful ways to connect & savor the small moments.

so please go browse my 70+ designs !!! [only one more month until 100!]

oh & the 7 new designs this week capture a few of the most fleeting feelings

i’m so proud of you,

MacK

P.P.S. sign up for the merry membership for $7.11 per month or $71.11 per year (get two months free!) to get:

• 3 free cards of your choosing per quarter

• free shipping on all purchases

• free swag, special members-only stuff

• first access to products & premium content

• my forever appreciation & more surprises to come!