While some people may have committed their New Year’s resolutions to going to the gym, this woman resolved to write one love letter to a different person for every day of the year.
They weren’t romantic love letters, however – they were letters of appreciation and praise for strangers, family members, friends, and old acquaintances from years past.
48-year-old Jen Kramer says that even though she never cared much for New Year’s resolutions in the past, she was inspired to start her #YearOfLove project when she read about the benefits of using resolutions for positive initiatives, rather than “arduous” self-improvement tasks.
Kramer, who works as the director of events at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, says that she didn’t often plan who she was going to shower with love on any given day – she mostly chose her love letter recipients based on her instincts. Some days, they were dedicated to high school friends whom she had not spoken to in years; others she dedicated to restaurant workers and custodians.
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Finally, after successfully publishing 365 love letters to social media, Kramer says that “it’s amazing what happens when you are on the lookout for love.”
“In a lot of ways, it’s been an experiment in healing,” Kramer told the Chicago Tribune. “Somehow, some way, showing love, expressing love, feeling love, exhibiting love has been a way to sort of navigate those moments of sadness — whether it’s about a person or a way things used to be or a way we used to treat each other.”
“This was an experiment that absolutely altered the course of my life and the way I go through life,” she continued, “and it cost me nothing.”
But while her labor of love was completely free of costs, it apparently still paid off. Science has already proven that being kind to other people has more mental health benefits than being a recipient of kindness – and Kramer’s fulfilled resolution is a testament to the research.
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“Where I went, love showed up,” she told the Tribune. “I took it with me everywhere. I looked for love everywhere. You just have to look.”
Kramer hopes that her project will inspire others to use 2019 as a year of showing gratitude to their peers – regardless of whether it’s expected.
Be Sure And Share This Inspiring Story Of Gratitude With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Jen Kramer