Why is this so hard?

As I begin on this card giving journey I'm learning a lot that I wasn't really after on the offset of the project. Today was my first time giving cards directly to another person. The first was my mother, who I see all the time, and the second was a waiter. I just left the card with the tip.

I don't understand why it's so hard to initate the giving of a card? I mean, I'm just offering them a Christmas card. If they were to reject it, that would be ok. Heck, even if they were to open it up and throw it on the ground that wouldn't be too bad. For some reason reaching into my pocket and pulling out a card and offering it to a complete stranger is socially the hardest thing I have ever done.

It's a direct result of our society I think. We build up walls around ourselves and find it "ackward" or "weird" to reach out to someone we don't know. It's just another person, just like me. We both had two hands, two feet, a Head, two ears... I would challenge everyone to try to do this if you don't believe me. Pick a person in a store and walk up to them and hand them a card and say something nice while you do it. I said "Merry Christmas" as I handed them a card and the social anxiety was huge.


I'm not sure why but I am sure I was uncomfortable. That may be the whole point though, that just may be what I didn't know I was looking for. As people in today's world we spend too much time on our cell phone and not enough time sitting across our dinner tables and talking to those we love. We see people everywhere we go but we are falling into a much more lonely time to be alive. A couple of months ago we had a very bad wind storm and most people lost power for about a week. I noticed that people were outside then, no one could email or text message their friends or neighbors. They had to stand and talk across the fence, or drive to their house and see what they were doing. When is the last time you had a real conversation with your wife? When is the last time you visited a friend just to talk to them? I bet you that you could get through most of your day without speaking a single word outloud. In this world of noise and constant movement we are too busy to live life. Turn off your tv's and have dinner together, invite your friends over while your at it.

This project is teaching me more about myself then I ever thought it would, and I'm getting the feeling that it's going to change my life forever....