Meet Melanie – she’s dreaming of establishing a National Gratitude Day in New Zealand
After surviving the Christchurch quakes, Melanie Mayell wants to see a national Gratitude Day established in New Zealand
In the weeks that followed Melanie – an author, artist and photographer – said she noticed how small moments of connection, often with complete strangers, had become a new currency in Christchurch, and “one kind gesture could curve my whole day into a smile.”
She had an idea. She would create a “simple process to encourage people to connect with a thank you.”
“I had 10,000 thank you cards printed and began giving them away by via hair salons, libraries, cafes, dentists.”
To date Melanie has given away over 25,000 postcards. She said the free cards encourage people to write a short thank you note to someone. They invite people to “pause for a moment of mindfulness, to create a connection” and ask people to recognise what’s good in their lives, even in the midst of change or difficulty.
As for New Zealand Gratitude Day – she would like to see “one special day of the year where the whole country is encouraged to focus on and appreciate the goodness in our lives.”
And she has plans for home too.
“My dream for Christchurch is to create a Gratitude Centre, café, and sculpture garden. A place of contemplation, celebration, sharing. Where people of all faiths and backgrounds can meet, walk, sit, share lunch, and leave feeling uplifted, inspired. It would also act as the hub and IV.”
Melanie is currently creating a range of gratitude products, including candles and perfume.
She’s also developing two programs – one for aged care facilities that nurtures residents’ emotional, mental and spiritual health, and the other – a Gratitude Resource Kit for Primary school teachers.
Her book Thankyou, published in April 2014, won a gold medal in Gift and Keepsake Category of the US Living Book Now Awards in the US.
Unsurprisingly, Melanie is currently nominated for Westpac 2015’s Women of Influence Awards
To order free Thankyou cards, or contact Melanie email: [email protected]
Check out: www.thecreatrix.co.nz
Melanie will be a guest on the upcoming Happyzine online course Power of the Positive.
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Be sure to order some of Melanie’s beautiful free cards if you like this article. I’m having such fun with mine! I gave one to a guy in a petrol station the other day for giving me his petrol voucher. It was a sweet moment. Don’t be shy! Order some!
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