Sending cards made in Toronto to your friends is still one of the only ways of connecting in this horrendously locked down province, and sometimes even that can take too much emotional energy.
Now, a shop is willing to take on that task for you. All you have to do is choose (and pay for) the card, and they'll write in the message and mail it for you through their online shop.
Hanji Gifts has been promoting Liane Daiter's handmade mental health compassion cards, and their own message-writing services during the pandemic.
That means your pandemic paper communication options aren't limited to cheesy Hallmark affairs with flowers and flowy script and cutesy cartoons, which is great as those can feel a bit hollow right now.
Daiter's cards are inscribed with messages that might be difficult to find in the average drugstore card aisle, such as "To my therapist, thank you for lighting my way" and "Anxiety sucks."
Daiter describes herself in her Etsy bio as "a curious and creative artist who has lived experience with mental health issues," continuing, "With Love was started in an effort to normalize conversations about mental health and wellness, and to encourage people to reach out to one another."
Messages like "You are not a burden," "Some days are harder than others," and "Go get 'em tiger!" all with sweet hand-done illustrations, can be a tangible way to acknowledge and bolster mental health during a period that's placing an extraordinary strain on many.
Though her cards of encouragement and compassion are phrased in universal terms, Daiter creates cards and buttons that are explicitly LGBTQ2+ friendly featuring "he/him," "she/her," and "they/them" pronouns, as well as rainbows with the messages "let me be perfectly queer" and "I love you so much, I can't even think straight."
"Liane is a wonderful human being and I really love what her company is all about," Catherine Choi of Hanji Gifts tells blogTO.
"I have personally written heart felt messages to so many people this year and it is a deep honour for me to do so."
So if you're feeling blue seeing the States get vaccinated while you're still resisting the temptation to get all your long-lost friends together for a big group hug, consider reaching out with a thoughtful card. With messages that come from the heart paired with personal words from you, there's no way it'll be an empty gesture.
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