Ch. #132--Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of: Embracing the Unexpected by Sending an Unexpected Correspondence…Midway

 

Hey folks! Welcome back to the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog! It is the third Monday of the month and that means that it is time to present the midway for Challenge #132. It is my fond hope that each of you and your own families continue to stay happy, safe, and well, wherever it is you live in this big wide world of ours. Just a reminder that this is the last challenge before our two month summer break. 

As we are a unique kind of challenge blog, it is important for you to understand how things work. Please be sure to check out the START POST FOUND HERE for the specific details related to this month's challenge, and you can find out all the general details you need to know in order to participate, by clicking on the 'Challenge Details' tab (located at the top of the blog). For your convenience, a summary of the most important rules can now be found in the right sidebar under the heading 'General Rules'.
 
Right now, it is time to continue with our midway. Here is a refresher of the details for our current twist:

 

 

Challenge #132

Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of 

Embracing The Unexpected:

Sending an Unexpected Correspondence

This year's goal is to Embrace the Unexpected in our lives (click here if you'd like to read more in depth about our overall theme for 2025). No matter how much planning we do throughout our years on this earth, we're going to come across circumstances that we can't plan for. These unexpected things may be small or they may be huge and life altering. The only thing that we can control is how we react to these events. So this year, instead of BRACING for the unexpected, we are going to flip that and get in the habit of EMBRACING the unexpected. This will help us to train ourselves to look at these types of events in a different light.

To help inspire you on this journey, each month we will be doing things such as creating fun unexpected projects, working with items we might not typically work with, taking approaches that are different from what we normally do, offering up the unexpected to someone in our life, etc. So, let's get to the details for this month's challenge.  

There is an expression that says "Happiness is receiving unexpected mail". If you happen to still receive snail mail, I imagine that most of it is bills, flyers or garbage. However, every once in a while, you might receive a letter or card from someone. These little endeavours can create big joy, especially if it is from someone that you haven't heard from in a while, or someone who just typically sends electronic mail your way. Whether it is for a special occasion or just out of the blue, when you receive unexpected cards or correspondence, the odds are it will put a smile on your face. However, the pleasure isn't just for the card recipient. The benefits are a two way street:

1. Learning new skills: Designing and creating handmade cards can be an opportunity to learn new skills, such as drawing, colouring, painting, or calligraphy. You might learn embossing techniques or how to design intricate card folds. These skills can be useful in other areas of life and can increase your confidence and ingenuity.
2. Personal expression: Handmade cards allow you to have fun and assert your creativity. By personalizing the message for the intended recipient, it can make the card more momentous and show the person that you put thought and effort into it.
3. Emotional connection: Receiving a handmade card can create a stronger emotional attachment between you and the person you are sending it to. By creating something special just for them, it shows that you care about the other person and are willing to invest time and work into maintaining your relationship. This can help make them feel admired and appreciated.
4. Mindfulness and relaxation: The process of designing and creating a handmade card can be meditative and relaxing. It allows you to focus on a creative task and can help reduce stress and anxiety. 
5. Spreading joy: Receiving a handmade card can bring joy and happiness to the beneficiary. It can brighten their day and create a positive emotional experience for them. This can in turn bring yourself comfort knowing that you are the person responsible for their moment of pleasure.

So, for your optional project this month, send an unexpected correspondence. Create and send a card to someone that you haven't sent mail to in a while. This would be a great opportunity to correspond with an old friend that you may have lost touch with or even one you just haven't seen lately. You could simply send a card to someone who wouldn't expect to receive one from you. How about someone in your own household?! Now that would certainly be unexpected on their end. This month you can bring unexpected joy to both yourself and someone else simply by sending an unexpected correspondence!

Remember, the twist is completely optional and you don't need to follow it in order to win. However, in order to be considered eligible for this month's goodies, remember that general types of projects/posts will not qualify for the honours and prize UNLESS they are also positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. Additionally, even if a project may qualify as positive, if your post promotes negativity, hatred or anything of an abhorrent nature, your project will be disqualified. Honours and Prize include:

• $6 worth of images from Scribbles Designs, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all qualifying entrants.
• A badge for the following honours: Top Pick, Most Inspirational, Random Winner, DT Delight.

References:

Arbuso, Irick. (2024). Handmade Cards as Acts of Kindness. [Online]. Altenew. Last Updated: 6 May 2024. Available at: https://blog.altenew.com/handmade-cards-as-acts-of-kindness/ [Accessed 7 March 2025].

Janah. (2018). Why cards are just as important as gifts. [Online]. Things To Get Me. Last Updated: 27 February 2018. Available at: https://www.thingstogetme.com/blog/why-cards-are-just-as-important-as-gifts [Accessed 7 March 2025].

Osuorah, Eric. (2023). Heartfelt Gestures: The Enduring Appeal of Handmade Greeting Cards. [Online]. AFOMA Marketplace. Last Updated: 12 November 2023. Available at: https://afomamarketplace.com/blogs/handmade-cards [Accessed 7 March 2025].

Rogers, Jo-Anne. (2018). The Joy of Receiving a Card. [Online]. Design with Jo. Last Updated: 27 July 2018. Available at: https://www.designwithjo.ca/the-joy-of-receiving-a-card/ [Accessed 7 March 2025].

Unknown. (2023). The Power of Greeting Cards: How a Simple Card Can Make a Big Impact. [Online]. Dudus Online. Last Updated: 9 February 2023. Available at: https://dudusonline.com/blogs/articles/the-power-of-greeting-cards-how-a-simple-card-can-make-a-big- [Accessed 7 March 2025].

To help inspire you further down the path of Embracing the Unexpected: Sending an Unexpected Correspondence, check out the wonderful projects my Design Team had the opportunity to create. Clicking on each team member's name will take you to their blog where you can check out the details for their inspirational creations.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Thanks again to my astounding design team! As always, each of them have their own unique avenues of creation which I thoroughly admire. Each of these designs has demonstrated the theme of Embracing the Unexpected: Sending an Unexpected Correspondence splendidly, and I hope we have motivated you throughout this challenge to come up with your own work of handicraft. Be sure to go and visit these accomplished ladies so you can see just how their projects tie in to the twist.

 

Why not join us, if you haven't entered already? Create a project and/or post that is positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature and join our link up. How about stretching yourself by also opting to follow the twist?! While it isn't mandatory, we'd also love to find out how this month's twist affects your own life. How do you typically deal with the unexpected in your life? Do you view it with trepidation or take it on as a challenge? This month it is time to send out an expected piece of correspondence. Not only will you make someone else's day but both of you will receive benefits. Be sure to check above for some specific ideas (along with the benefits for both sender and recipient) if you aren't sure how to get started. If you want to share your process on how you decided your project, you can write a sentence or two in the body of your post, write a sentence at the bottom of your post next to the link up for this challenge, or simply leave a comment on this post if you'd like.

Also, I know that the participants would love for you to go and pay them a visit. Remember we're creating a Path of Positivity to follow one project at a time and we'd love to see you somewhere on that route even if it is just by leaving a comment on an entry from someone who has touched you somehow with their project and/or post! You can find our list of participants and enter our latest challenge yourself by clicking HERE and scrolling down to the bottom of the post.

 

GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY…

Please show your support to our wonderful sponsor, Scribbles Designs, by going over and checking out their work and saying hi if you have the chance. You may also just find an image or two to add your your collection!

Thank you so much to this awesome Canadian company for their
continued support of this challenge blog!

Don't Forget...

Winners for challenge #131 will be posted next Monday if everything goes according to plan. You can find the Top Picks post HERE.

 

If you ever have any questions be sure to leave me a comment.

 

Click HERE to head to the current challenge post & link up!

 

 

We look forward to seeing you participate!