Hi Friend,
At the beginning of summer, I said I wanted it to be the summer of slow, where we stop rushing through life. And now with the close of summer and the cooler breeze upon us (well for some of us, I’m in Texas so it’s still in the high of 90s lol) I’m revisiting how I want to close out the summer and start the new season.
The other day, I was putting together a package for a friend. I could have ordered everything online, typed in their address, and had the retailer ship it directly to their door. It would have been quicker and easier and they still would have known I was thinking of them.
But instead, I chose each item myself. I brought everything home, arranged it in the box, tucked in a handwritten note, and packaged it with care. None of those extra steps were necessary, but that was exactly what made them feel meaningful.
I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to move through life in the most efficient way possible. And sometimes, efficiency is what we need. Hello, Amazon Prime delivery! But whenever I have the capacity, or rather, when I intentionally create the space, I want to resist rushing past the small opportunities to make something feel personal, whether that’s for someone else or even for myself.
I’m tired of the rushing and the need to do more and more in as little time as possible. Let’s bring it back to setting the table, wrapping a gift, handwriting a letter, and simply taking a little extra time with life.
Thoughtfulness isn’t necessarily about doing more, it can be just choosing to leave a little piece of your care behind for the people that mean something to us and for ourselves.
Rachel
📖 Know
In a study of 160 women, researchers found that the more effort someone put into a thoughtful gesture, the more gratitude the recipient felt. The reason wasn’t the gesture itself — the recipient’s sense that the giver had been genuinely thoughtful significantly explained the connection (p < .001). Sometimes the extra care really is the part people feel most. 🫶
🌱 Begin
Leave a little surprise for tomorrow. Set out your favorite mug, place a tea bag or coffee pod beside it, and add a tiny note to yourself — the way you would if you were preparing it for someone you love. Let the first thing you encounter in the morning be evidence that someone thought of you, even if that someone was you.
⛰️ Explore
Come with me to do a little shopping, gifting, and hanging around town in Austin
✨ Reflect
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” — Simone Weil
Where in your life are you being invited to replace efficiency with attention and what small act of care could that look like?
📍 Currently…
A curated collection of interesting articles, interviews, products that are currently on my radar.
🌿 When change feels hard, here is how you can start to build trust in yourself.
🍧 Korean shaved ice for hot summer days that still exist here! I made this with my mom and topped ours with mangos, strawberries, blueberries, frozen mango ice cubes, sweet red bean, soft rice cakes, and condensed milk.
👗 This Anthropologie dress is one of those easy pieces you can throw on and still feel pulled together. Soft, feminine, and very much a “romanticizing the little errands” kind of dress. And it’s on sale! I’m jealous, I bought it full price 🫠
✍️ I’ve been loving the idea of making journaling feel more beautiful and intentional, and Paper Republic has such lovely pieces if you’re craving a little upgrade for your writing ritual.
☕ Learn exactly how much caffeine you actually need for focus.
Missed any of my newsletters? You can browse them here whenever you have a moment: rachelrhee.com/newsletter.
🤗 Support
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