Pop quiz: You meant to write your friend a thank you / I’m sorry / sympathy card, and now it’s been … a while. Maybe even, like, a year 😬 What do you do?
a) Skip writing to them altogether – it’s too late now.
b) Write to them now. Better late than never.
The answer (of course) is B, but why do so many of us opt for A when we find ourselves in this situation? To try and break this habit that helps absolutely no one, below are three reasons why it’s never too late to say what you want to say, and why a late letter showing you care will always, always be better than no letter at all.
1. Kind words will never make anyone angry, even if they’re late ⏰
Reverse the roles in your situation. If you were the one to receive a card with caring words in it, be they words of gratitude, sympathy, or apology, can you imagine a scenario in which you’d be annoyed or angry because they were late? Of course not – you’d simply be grateful to receive them. And the same is equally true for the person you’d like to reach out to. So just do it!
2. You’ll feel better 🤗
The guilt of not writing to someone stinks – and you don’t deserve that. When you choose to write to this person you care about (even though it’s late and possibly really late), you will feel better, and that’s practicing good self-care. Go you!
3. It’s the right thing to do, even if it’s hard 🌸
Try to resist the urge to put your own feelings of awkwardness or discomfort above doing what you know is the right thing. If you have the ability to show someone you care, you should – surely we all can agree on that 💕
