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I’m going to do you a favor. For a change, I’m keeping it brief with only three points.

Etiquette alert. This just in from Coco, our etiquette monitor: When trying to win friends and influence people, do not under any circumstances arrive at a scheduled meeting late, leave early and hurl insults at the other attendees afterwards. This is a deadly combination. No matter how urgent you feel it is to attend to other business (negotiating with a probable despot, for example), your behavior signals to the people at the meeting that they are of no consequence to you. Thumbing your nose at a group of people who are linked to your health, wealth and security is never a good idea. Better to skip the meeting altogether if you can’t be present for the entire length of it. Learn to arrange other important meetings around your previous commitment to the group. Otherwise, you end up looking like a boorish man-child. Or woman-child. Whatever.

Jewelry patrol. In my lifetime, I’ve only owned four pieces of fine jewelry: a diamond necklace given to me by my aunt, a diamond engagement ring, a pair of diamond studs given to me by my husband on our first anniversary and a tennis bracelet. Otherwise, my drawers are full of costume jewelry—some vintage, some not. I never saw myself as a fine jewelry hound. Not until I met Dawn, David and Dani Fishman. One visit to Fishman Fine Jewelers, their Carmel, Indiana jewelry studio, has me rethinking my accessory strategy. For once, I thought about all the money I’d ever spent on junk jewelry and wondered if I might have several fine pieces with the same amount.

Custom jewelry isn’t just for rich people. In some ways, having a few distinct pieces of fine jewelry seems like the ultimate minimalist move. A few signature pieces that really define your style can simplify getting dressed. The Fishmans specialize in designing custom pieces. Unlike most jewelry stores, which are simply merchandisers of mass-produced fine jewelry, every piece in the studio is handcrafted by a member of the Fishman family and built to last. It’s sort of “Sleek Avant-Garde Design Meets Old World Craftsmanship.” They’ve been in business for over 40 years, and they’ve just launched a new website with an exciting blog in the making. If you live in the greater Indianapolis area, they are THE go-to resource for contemporary design, appraisals and one-of-a-kind signature jewelry.

Here’s a letter on a hand-sketched card, sent to me by a new friend made on a recent trip to Baltimore. The fun part: we liked each other so much that we BOTH mailed notes to each other the same day.

Try this big bodacious act. Every now and then, you trip across an idea so massively grand and wonderful that you wish you had invented it yourself. And then you think, “Hey, who cares whether it’s my idea or not? It’s awesome. I should climb onboard.” That’s how I felt when I learned about More Love Letters. The site’s M.O. is recruiting people to write letters to other people who desperately need encouragement. Go. Check it out. It’s the coolest discovery of my year. If you’re looking for ways to be the change this world needs, this could be your ticket.

Well. This is an all time record for me. Less than 500 words. I’m growing my hair out. (Sort of.) That takes LOTS of time. Which is why you haven’t heard from me lately. If you’re into the letter writing endeavor, trot on over and fortify your stationery at my shop with a purpose. Each set of 10 cards supports people who are fighting breast cancer. One hundred percent of your purchase goes to Pink Ribbon Connection, a local non-profit.

Life is short. Wear the good stuff.