Wait. There’s a best time for a Social Media break?

Recently, nearly everyone has been on vacation of one sort or another. We’ve had Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day in succession. People tend to add on more vacation days to make these holidays into longer breaks so they can have a week or two off work. Because there aren’t as many people online it’s a good time to take a break! What are some other good times for a social media break? Or do we have to be on 24/7?

Everyone talks about the best time to post–how about the best time not to post?

Nobody tells you the best time to do nothing. Personally, I think we need to honor the seasons. Look at the trees, all losing their leaves and taking a break. We ought to take a cue from nature and shut down sometimes. Healthline has a terrific article about taking a break around elections: Why now may be the best time to take a break from social media. If elections and/or the Pandemic give you more stress, then the times leading up to and immediately after elections could be particularly beneficial. (In other news, taking a break when nearly everyone is asleep is also a good idea.)

Any holiday week or weekend

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is an excellent time to take a break. Fewer people are online, although it’s an incredibly busy time for merchants and small businesses who do much of their main business during this time. Of course delivery drivers wouldn’t want to take this time off, either. But for most of us, it’s a great time to rest and recover. Simply add a few days on either side of a holiday, and voila! If you’re up for cooking, you might like some of these Japanese recipes a bunch of us tried for Thanksgiving. You could cook them on your social media holiday. Don’t worry–they’re good any time of year!

The Fourth of July week

Historically, the 4th of July is when a lot of people take vacation, and taking a social media break in the summer is a good idea. School is already out for most kids, the weather is warm, and there’s not a lot going on online. It’s a great time to focus on the best chili recipes, to argue about what condiments belong on a hot dog, and to test comfy hammocks.

If you’re tired

Sometimes, social media can be overwhelming. If you feel that the well has gone dry and you’re all out of energy, it’s a good time. You might want to take some time to plan for the next year or few months. By the way, have you read this post about Slow Social Media? It’s related, and you might like it. If you’re stuck, friend Randy Clark also has great ideas about what to write about: 6 Ways to Never Run Out of Blog Post Ideas. (He advises people to get 6-8 weeks ahead of their blog.)

Before you’re sick

Of course, taking time off when you’re sick is mandatory. But how about taking some time for yourself before you’re sick? Doesn’t that sound like a good idea, too? How about calling in well for once? As Kristen Fuller, M.D., says in Social Media Breaks and Why They Are Necessary, it’s good to schedule social media-free days: “Maybe it is every Sunday or maybe it is the entire weekend where you actively decided not to check or engage in your social media accounts.” I couldn’t agree more.

 

Every year we all have the best of intentions, starting the new year off right and going all in on those resolutions. Then, around mid-January, reality sets in and we give up. At least that’s how it often goes for me. How about you? I often like to use analogies about new year’s resolutions (among other things), and this time is no different. This year, I’d like to simplify my resolutions so they don’t make me crazy. By the way, I’ve written about resolutions before: 100 Best Questions That Will Guide Your Social Media resolutions. You might like it!

First idea: pack a suitcase, then remove half

When you pack a suitcase, do you often find that you squish too much in there? Do you end up having to sit on your suitcase to get the zipper closed like I do? When I haven’t traveled for awhile, I tend to forget about this trick: I put everything in the suitcase and then take out half. The zipper closes easily and you don’t have to call your bestie to help you get the zipper closed. So why not put down all your crazy, ambitious resolutions and then divide them in half? As Randy Clark says in his 7 New Year’s Resolution Mistakes: “Don’t make too many resolutions at one time.”

There are different ways to divide resolutions in half

For instance, you could simply use the same resolutions but not quite as ambitious. Instead of losing 100 pounds, how about 50 pounds? (Don’t we all have a weight-loss resolution?) Instead of running ten miles a day, how about five?

Or…you could just tear that list of resolutions in half!

Literally just tear the sheet of paper in half (this analogy is better with actual paper). Remove half of the resolutions. And maybe you’ll breathe a sigh of relief at having less to do!

Second Idea: Baby Steps!

Baby steps are the way you get to the bigger resolutions. If you want to exercise for an hour, start with 15 minutes. Or maybe even 5 minutes. Be easy on yourself. After all, if these are your New Year’s Resolutions, it’s January, and winter. There’s snow outside and it’s cold. I’ve written about baby steps before, and you might like How to Get out of a Dismal Social Media Rut.

Step up those baby steps

Start with five minutes, then work up to ten and then 15. Don’t start with an hour of exercise, or whatever it is you’re planning to do. My friend Bridget Willard has a hilarious example of using Baby Steps to set up your Twitter account, and you can see it here: A Beginner’s Guide to Setting up Your Twitter Account.

Third Idea: Look at last year’s resolutions

Which were you able to commit to and accomplish? If there weren’t any, consider maybe scrapping the idea of resolutions altogether! Seriously, why torture yourself? Consider starting something later in the year, say around February 15th, when the snow isn’t so deep! Simplify those resolutions (that can be one of your resolutions!).

 

 

 

Getting things done ahead of time takes planning, but is so worth it

We all love the rush of doing things at the last minute. You can whiz around and really test yourself as you speed around the interwebs, looking up things on Wikipedia and testing your memory. But isn’t it even better to get things done ahead of time? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way!) You might like this article: Simple systems for social media marketing.

So far today

On Monday, an atmospheric river hit our area. We got over 10 (11? 12? who knows what insane amount?) inches of rain within 24 hours. The river right behind the house threatened to overflow its banks. Lawn furniture, huge trees, and debris from the burn scar appeared, along with the roaring water. Then a couple of trees came down and blocked the road. Then some power lines came down. So that was an adventure. But you know what? It’s really great to have some things done ahead of time so I don’t have to worry about them. Plus, I got to find out about my neighbors and their his-and-hers chainsaws! Yes, really.

There was still a lot of panic

What would I do with the cats? The last time we had to evacuate, one of our cats, Stevie Wonder Paws, was really sick. He threw up, had diarrhea, and started to foam at the mouth. We had to stop at the vet to get him sedated, which still didn’t work. Plus, there was Covid. What would we do if we had to evacuate with Stevie again? That poor widdle guy was so upset! And what would I need to pack? I examined all the cat carriers–dusty from having not been used during the pandemic except for the last time we evacuated because of fire last year.

Social Media Managers need to be prepared

It’s important to know ahead of time what you’ll do if there’s an emergency. Of course, it’s not always possible to prepare for the unthinkable. Emergencies can find you no matter what you do. But being as well prepared as possible is always a good thing for your peace of mind. In this case, I was really happy that I had prepared and scheduled a lot of content ahead of time since our power could go out at any time. By the way, you might like: Made Up Holidays Social Media Managers Will Absolutely Love.

Baking takes prep, too

Many of us have been baking this season, or at least preparing to bake. For me, the prep work involved making dough for 18 dozen cookies. This weekend all the baking will take place. Like baking, content creation takes prep work, too. Not just writing, but deciding where to post, when to post, and which images to use. All of these can be done ahead of time. If there’s an emergency, your writing and/or content creation will already be done.

You’re working on your company’s marketing day in and day out, but sometimes you really need to go the extra mile in your marketing. How do you know when, though? Is there a time when it’s particularly important?

Holidays are important times to go the extra mile

For networking, holidays are the times when it can be either extremely quiet or dramatically chaotic. It’s good to have a presence during these times so that you can network with others. And knowing what to say and when is also important. You might help out by picking up party supplies or giving a co-worker a ride to the party or home afterwards. Planning ahead a few days or weeks can also give you an edge. And, although it might seem old-fashioned, carry a few business cards. People still use them! You might like this article: Made-up Holidays Social Media Managers Will Absolutely Love.

Anniversaries

By anniversaries, I mean anniversaries of certain dates important to your brand, such as 9/11. Not everyone is keen to express themselves on 9/11, but for some brands, it’s a must. Also, the anniversaries of school shootings in the U.S., or the deaths of key dignitaries or politicians. If you’re working with a lifestyle brand, there may be important times as well. One type of anniversary I’m not fond of? When a brand has reached a milestone, such as number of followers. Unless it’s a huge milestone, like a million followers on YouTube, nobody cares!

Throw in some extras

If you can make your client happy by adding a little extra, that’s a good way to impress. Going the extra mile in marketing means giving a baker’s dozen instead of a dozen sometimes. For instance, what I like to do is add an extra post on a different platform, such as Pinterest, for a client who’s only paying for Twitter and Facebook. Jodie Cook mentions this baker’s dozen strategy in an article for Forbes.

When they need a little extra assistance

For me, since I work for mainly small and medium-sized businesses, sometimes cash flow isn’t what it should be. And although I probably shouldn’t, I’ve worked for free temporarily just to get the small businesses over the hump–especially when I know they’ll be ok in the end and have positive cash flow. Do I have any regrets about doing this? Not at all. I feel good, and they feel good, too.

When there’s a conference

Many small businesses will either attend or throw a conference and being there will be a big deal. If you work for a company that holds conferences, that’s a good time to go the extra mile. If you can’t attend in person because of distance, inconvenience, or Covid, you might be able to attend online. If your CEO attends a conference, you could support them by either doing research into who will be there that they should meet or creating an article about the conference later.

If you, like me, have been a little bit bored with the traditional dry Thanksgiving turkey, why not try a Japanese Thanksgiving? Of course, you could also have this meal at Christmas or any other time, too. But since my cousin and I were both a little bored of the same old same old we thought we’d try something different. Hence: Japanese Thanksgiving was born. By the way, I’ve written about holiday recipes before. Here are some of the Best Holiday Recipes of #DigiBlogChat from 2020.

Why a Japanese Thanksgiving?

To backtrack just a little, my cousin and I are both half Japanese, or hapa (half) in Japanese. We’ve been wanting to make more Japanese food for a while and test out our cooking skills. Also, we both lost our mothers recently, and cooking some non-mainstream American meals seemed like a good way to remember our moms and reconnect with our Japanese ancestry. I’d been talking to good friend Terri Nakamura about our menu recently, and she suggested I add the turkey recipe to my blog somehow (Thanks, Terri!), and one thing led to another.

Appetizers–Senbei, of course

If you’ve ever hung out with Japanese families, they always always always have snacks around. If you ever travel to Japan, you’ll be amazed at the number of snacks there are everywhere. The food is delicious and convenient. For the appetizers, we chose a few different crackers (senbei)and snacks. My favorite of these was the wasabi lotus (those are the ones right in front in the picture above). We also had homemade gyoza, which another neighbor made from scratch!

Side dishes with seaweed help round out a Japanese Thanksgiving

Some of my favorite Japanese dishes are the side dishes–things like Kimpira (stir-fried carrot and burdock root), and hijiki which is the small black seaweed dish. To be honest, I bought these–making each and every side dish, plus all the crackers would’ve been daunting for a first Japanese Thanksgiving!

The main course: Turkey

For our Thanksgiving meal, I chose turkey thighs, which I cut up and marinated, based on a recipe I found on Yang’s website: Japanese Grilled Turkey Skewers. This is a remake of a Yakitori, or grilled chicken, recipe. I marinated the turkey thigh pieces overnight, which made them very flavorful. The next day, I soaked the wooden skewers and threaded the turkey onto them. We grilled the turkey on our outdoor grill. Tips: next time I’ll have the butcher cut up the meat, since that was the most time-consuming part of making the turkey.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce with Ginger

Cranberry-orange sauce has become a tradition for Thanksgiving, and this year rather than skip it, my bestie made it, but added grated and dried ginger to it for an Asian twist. For the best results, make it the day before and let the flavors mix overnight.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Shio Koji

My cousin came up with this recipe. She’s a wonderful cook, and everyone loved these mashed potatoes! Shio koji is a fermented paste, similar to miso, here made with rice. It’s possible to make your own fermentation, but I think my cousin bought hers and added it to the potatoes.

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

Something you can’t ever have enough of is gravy, and this mushroom gravy was yummier than gravies I’ve had in the past, and didn’t make you feel urpy (anyone else lactose-intolerant out there will probably love this gravy!). Did you know that a lot of Asians are lactose-intolerant?

Miso-Glazed Root Vegetables

Another favorite of everyone who still had room in their stomachs was the miso-glazed root veggies. Honestly, I got so full that I couldn’t even try these until the next day.

Enhanced Stuffing

My 13-year-old stepson was particularly fond of this stuffing, and kept eating more and more of it.

Green Beans Wrapped with Bacon

Again, there was so much food that these green beans had to wait until the next day to be tasted!

Drinks

For drinks, we had Prosecco cocktails (basically just Prosecco with pear nectar or apple juice). Simple, but delicious. We also had an assortment of Japanese IPA beer. Did you know there’s Japanese IPA beer with things like Matcha added? Of course, we had to taste some of those.

Dessert was not Japanese!

We also had rum cake, which I made and then forgot to take a picture of–grrrr! It soaked in 151 rum overnight (probably illegal in some parts of the country). The recipe called for spiced rum, but I think spiced rum is kind of disgusting. Also, I only had the 151 rum, so there is that.

 

 

You’ve probably set loads of goals in your life before, and, with January coming up fast, you’ll probably set even more of them. But how do you set goals that last longer than the time it takes to write them down? There are a number of steps you can take to give those goals some staying power. If you want to master goal setting, that takes a little more time and thought.

Set your goals to become a goal setting master

Of course, you need to have goals before you can become a goal setting master. So you can start with a big brush and write out some notes before really buckling down. For instance, do you want to improve your health? Write it down! Want to improve your wealth or start a budget? Write that down, too. I’ve written about stretch goals before–you might like the article.

Use the S.M.A.R.T. model

Ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. In this MindTools article on SMART goals, the S in Specific is achieved by using similar tools to those a journalist would use. That is: what, why, who, where, and which. So in the second step, make your goals more specific! What do you want to improve about your health? Do you want to lose weight? That’s one of the most popular and common goals for New Years Resolutions.

Make sure you can measure your goal

Don’t just say you’d like to lose “some weight.” Surely you have a number in mind. You can start with a small number and work in increments, too. For instance, how about five pounds? When you reach five pounds, you can reassess. Or maybe that’s all you need to lose, in which case you’re done!

Is your goal realistic?

If you want to become the world champion heavyweight boxer or enter the next Olympics, is that even a possibility? Sure, it’s great to be ambitious, but even the most ambitious person has realistic goals. Again, dividing your long-term goal into short-term steps can really help here.

Timely goals are important

If you don’t give yourself a deadline to get those goals finished, there’s probably no point in having goals! Otherwise, you might be looking at decades before getting your goals done. That’s if they get done at all!

Say them, print them, post them all over

That’s right–you need to make your goals into something you can repeat, like a mantra every day. This is where it helps to have just a couple of goals and not twenty or thirty of them! So print them–on your printer or by hand is even better, and then put them up. How about on your refrigerator door?

Look at your goals every day!

Sometimes I fall down on this one. In the past, I’ve put my goal list into a folder on my desk so I can see them every day. Or, make a shorter list and look at them while brushing your teeth. Whatever you every day, make sure you can see your goals and you can really cement them into your brain.

 

 

 

We’ve all had those times when we really feel like there’s nothing to say. Or when you think someone else has already said it and said it better than you! Not every day is going to be a productive day, but some days are terrible! Does that sound like you? Maybe writer’s block is keeping you from even starting on that project! If that sounds like you, stick around!

Review your old posts

Go through your old posts until something makes you look twice. Maybe something didn’t “click” the first time or the images weren’t correct for the post. Whatever it is, revisit it and look at it in a different way. Maybe the timing was off? This kind of review can really assist with your writer’s block.

Sleep on it

Right before you go to sleep, suggest to yourself that you’ll wake up with a topic. This often works for me, especially if I keep a pen and paper next to the bed. If you don’t have a way to record your idea, though, often it’ll disappear into thin air!

Take a walk

If you take your mind off your subject, often you’ll be inspired. A walk or a change of scenery often does the trick! Maybe you don’t like to walk. Then take a drive or call a friend instead. I’ve written about social media burnout before, and you might like that article: Social Media Burnout. There’s a link to forest bathing in it, too.

Eliminate distractions

Is that donut in the kitchen calling your name? Are the kids crying (if you work at home)? Is there loud music somewhere in your workplace? Getting rid of those distractions can often help with writer’s block. I’ve written about writer’s block before. You might like: How to Cure Writer’s Block: 10 Best Ways.

Put the seat of your pants in the seat of your chair

This is the one that has the most impact on me. Simply setting aside the time and writing. It doesn’t always have to be good writing! That’s why ideas like NaNoWriMo work so well! Try it and see if you can write more this November (it’s not too late!). You don’t have to write a million words in a month, but try to write more than you did last month.

Write for 15 minutes

Could you write for 15 minutes? Of course you could! So write in whatever way you want–with a pen, pencil, or keyboard in a Word doc. Whichever way you decide to write, just do it for 15 minutes. Even if you write the same sentence 15 times, it’ll get your brain in the right mode to write and that has to be good, right?

Make an Editing Checklist

Friend Randy Clark has a nifty list of things to watch for in his editing checklist on his article about How to Defeat Writer’s Block. And you might want to read it just because he writes a lot and you could find inspiration there.

 

Everyone uses search all the time to the extent that Google has now become a verb. We don’t even bother saying we’re going to search on Google. We just assume that you’re using Google to search. Google is wonderful and I use it every day, but how can you optimize your search results? And are there other search engines you could use for other purposes? Why yes and yes! Stick around while I help you search like a pro!

Duck Duck Go

If you really want to search like a pro, try asking a 12-year-old. Yes, don’t be so full of yourself that you don’t think you can learn from kids because any 12-year-old knows a lot about how to search and keep it a secret. Want to know about that weird medical condition that you might have? Or want to find out the latest cannabis recipe without being followed all over the internet? Try Duck Duck Go!

Pinterest Search

Say you want to knit a sweater, but you don’t know exactly which one? Get on Pinterest. You can enter something like knitting pattern sweater and you’ll get a visual result of knitting patterns. I’ve written about using Pinterest as a search engine before here: Why Pinterest Isn’t Social Media–and Why It is. But you can also use Google the same way. Try the same knitting pattern sweater and you’ll get similar results in your search. You can narrow your search further by specifying images on Google (click on the images tab).

Google Scholar

Need to combat fake news? You can search for academic studies, articles, dissertations, and abstracts with Google Scholar. Of course, there’s a WikiHow on the subject that can explain this better than I can: 3 Ways to Use Google Scholar. Note: the best way to use Google Scholar is to sign into your Google account. Another note: there are ways to optimize your search within Google Scholar just as there are ways to optimize your search within Google itself. Scroll down in that Wiki article and you’ll see.

Reverse Image Search

This is one of the best uses of technology out there. Go to Google, type in reverse image search, click, upload your image, and voila! Recently, I was visiting a friend and she had been looking for an image’s source for months. With Google reverse image search, we found it in a matter of minutes. Here is how Google explains how to use reverse image search.

Use the tabs to search like a pro!

As mentioned above, you can use the tabs in Google search so that your search is visual. But there are other tabs, too! There’s a news tab, a maps tab, and a more tab! You may see a shopping tab and a tools tab if you click on the more tab.

Use a colon to search on a specific site

We’ve all come across those annoying websites where you can’t find anything! But! Did you know that you can use a colon to drill down in your search? Here’s an example. (And I’m not saying the Homeless Garden Project has an annoying website, either.) Search for the Homeless Garden Project’s store on their site as follows:

store: https://homelessgardenproject.org/

Start with a simple search

Chances are, you’re already doing this. Start with the most generic search and then make it more and more specific. For instance, if you want to know about artificial intelligence and its risks, first search artificial intelligence, then narrow your search further.

 

 

 

 

Friend Terri Nakamura and I have been talking (via tweets, mostly) about home generators and power outages lately. And she said she thought I should write about having a generator, which never occurred to me! But many people could use a home generator right now. If you’re thinking about getting one, here are some reasons you should. While I haven’t written about home generators before, I’ve written about emergencies. You might like How Natural Disasters Can Make Us More Grateful.

Peace of Mind

Knowing that you can keep your appliances going (especially if you have medical appliances such as a CPAP machine), your refrigerated items cold, and your heat on for your babies gives you peace of mind. Now a generator won’t necessarily run everything in your home, but you can get by with one. A whole-house generator will cost you a lot more, but give you even more peace of mind if outages are really bad where you are. For me, a home generator is just the right size.

Climate change is getting worse

When we first moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains, we rarely had power outages. Even though it seemed like we lived in the middle of nowhere, the power stayed on. And even though I could’ve gotten a Tesla Powerwall, I didn’t. Now of course I wish I had! Because they were around $5,000 then and now the price has tripled, if they’re available at all. And our power outages are happening all the time. To give you an idea of how often the power goes out, we sometimes don’t even bother resetting the clock on the microwave after it goes out. If we’re having a bad storm, we’re certain the power won’t stay on, and we’ll just have to reset it again. This time around, the power only went out for a few minutes, but we still didn’t reset the microwave clock.

Independence during storms

As I write these words, we just went through a pretty bad storm. Our area got about 10″ of rain. We were warned to stay off the roads, and watch for fallen trees and downed wires, which we did. With a generator, we could stay home, be able to cook and charge our devices, and stay out of the way of the emergency vehicles. Police and fire departments were out mopping up debris, downed trees, and helping people who got stuck in the storm. Even though we didn’t have to use the generator (this time), it was a godsend knowing it was there .

Losing food, even if you get reimbursed, is a hassle

You really don’t want to lose everything in your frig. Even if your local power company reimburses you, do you really want the hassle? Filling out forms, saving receipts, and waiting for reimbursements? Don’t we already do that with insurance claims? Who wants more bureaucracy? A generator costs relatively little when you measure what your time and the hassle cost you. Mine cost around $500, by the way. And also, if you don’t have food you’ll have to run to the store during a storm or emergency, which is not fun–and that’s if you can find one that’s open and has the supplies you need. During the early days of the pandemic, some of our local stores didn’t have much fresh food, and many lost their frozen food as well, since they didn’t have backup generators!

You can set up a home generator!

There’s no reason you can’t set up a generator. If I can do it, you certainly can, too! It’s really not that difficult. You may need some additional things, such as the following:

• A heavy-duty extension cord to go from the generator to the frig;
• A gas canister (make sure your generator uses the type of fuel you’re buying!);
• Gasoline or some type of fuel (check which type of fuel your generator needs–I know I said it twice, but it’s critical);
• Some fuel stabilizer so the gas doesn’t go bad when you store it. Bob Vila has a good article on gasoline and keeping it fresh.
• A place to store your generator when not in use. You can get a shed if you don’t have an ideal spot to store your generator.Other than the above supplies, a generator is fairly simple to operate.

There are people to help you

Odds are one of your friends in your neighborhood already has a generator and can help you set it up and learn to use it. When there’s a storm, walk around your neighborhood and listen for who has one. There is also YouTube University, where you can learn more than you’ll ever want to know about this or nearly any other subject. Luckily for me, my friend Annie and her wonderful husband offered lots of help. Maybe you have an Annie in your life who could help you! Actually, she volunteered her husband and that worked out perfectly!

Right now, we’re experiencing a number of transitions. You may be facing some of these transitions, too. So here are some ideas for writing about those transition times. After all, you never know who is handling the same transition. Your words might make a difference for someone in a similar situation.

Transition between fall and winter

It’s not quite Halloween, and the weather is warm during the day but cold at night. So why not write about how to prepare for the upcoming winter season during the quiet time when not much is happening? With climate change affecting nearly everyone, we can all learn from each other. For instance, how do we prepare for flooding if an evacuation is needed? How do you stay on a diet during a pandemic and have a good holiday season? Here’s an article you might like: 10 Social Media Transitions and How to Use them.

Fire and rainy season

Here where I am, we’ve had a horrible fire season. Much of California seems to be on fire. So one transition for us will be between the dry (fire) season and the wet (rainy) season. This upcoming week we are promised an “atmospheric river” with possibly over 5″ of rain. Yikes! Again, why not write about how to prepare for the rainy season? Are there things your readers can do now to get ready?

Time before winter holidays

We’re coming up on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve and Day. So you could write about how to prep for those. What will you say during those holidays? Time tends to speed up during November and December and now is a good time to prepare! Get those articles written, or at least started now. Don’t think you have time? Here’s an article that could help: Time Management for the Busy Professional.

Covid and post-Covid

For most of us, this is a huge transition. And the transition is happening at different speeds for different parts of the country, and the world. Here in California, the transition seems fast. People are almost acting as though there never was a pandemic. You could write about what that transition is like in your part of the country or the world. Or how you wish the transition would be, or how the transition could be eased or improved.

Personal transitions

Have you had a major transition? Maybe one of your parents passed away, or you lost a partner or beloved pet. Chances are, someone else has gone through the same transition. Your words could help soothe someone else. Or your words could help someone know what to do and how to emotionally handle such a transition. For instance, what is the mourning process like for someone who’s lost their partner? That’s a process that we rarely talk about. By the way, I highly recommend the movie Departures, about a Japanese man who is a ritual mortician. Don’t be put off by the subject matter–it’s very sweet! And that was recommended to me by a friend, Terri Nakamura!