Every Tuesday morning I call my mother (pictured above; may we all look this amazing at age 83). The reason I know I call her every Tuesday is because a few years ago, I actually inputted "Call Mom" as a recurring to-do item in my to-do list app. 

At first I was embarrassed that I needed to implement such a mechanical practice around a relationship, but I soon found that it was incredibly effective because I am nothing if not wed to my to-do list! However, I eventually felt the need to tell my Mom about this practice because I'm also nothing if not Korean in my natural gravitation towards self-flagellation. I braced myself for her response and when she issued it, I realized that I should have known that my Mom is way too smart to criticize regular phone calls from one of her kids. Instead, she said, "I like it! Tell your siblings to put 'Call Mom' on their list too!" (That, my friends, is what I call an #AsianBurn)

I've been thinking a lot about how we as humans feel whole and connected to ourselves and the world, and given my action-oriented nature, I continue to circle around to the power of quick touch points. My regular calls to my Mom (which sometimes last all of 3 minutes and have deepened our relationship enormously over the past few years) have made me realize how much humans need to feel seen to feel whole, and that a quick text or call when you're thinking of someone goes a long way towards making another human feel seen. 

I swear, I'm not trying to add more to your to-do list, but if you have, at times, struggled to keep in touch with people you care about, let go of any shame over putting a recurring reminder in your calendar or to-do app to help you remember to connect.