By Julio Ojeda-Zapata

St. Pault Pioneer Press

St. PAUL — Feeling a bit down during the holidays? Jason Rehmus of St. Paul wants to perk you up.

Rehmus sent out a tweet this week that said: “I’m writing emails to those dealing with the holiday blues this week. Is that you? Get in touch, and I’ll write you back.”

Rehmus, 39, has done this before, and his M.O. is always the same: He’ll read about a person’s problem, and then send an encouraging response.

“I try not to tell people what they should do, or how they should feel,” he said. “But I acknowledge their feelings and help them to understand they aren’t alone.”

This year, for instance, Rehmus heard from a couple of folks who are far from their loved ones for the holidays, and rather lonely.

Rehmus can relate.

About three years ago, he went through a bitter divorce that had him in a pretty dark place for a while.

In a desperate bid to distract himself, and to focus on something a bit more positive, he combed through his contact list in search of dads to whom he could send Father’s Day greetings.

“It was an exercise in writing something that did not contain the words ‘I’ or ‘me’ and to focus on the recipient,” said the freelance writer and editor.

Rehmus said he “got some really nice responses thanking me for thinking of them.”

This was a spark of inspiration that prompted him to periodically tweet his offer of written cheer. He said he has done this about a half-dozen times in the last couple of years.

Each time, he creates a custom email address in the spirit of his pick-you-up project. This year, it’s kind.words@m37.cc.

He typically gets only a handful of responses, but he said that is plenty to feel like he’s made an impact. He has had a number of “repeat customers,” too.

He usually doesn’t hear anything back after sending off his cheery emails, “but one person did write me back thanking me,” he said. “He then turned it around and asked if there was anything I’d like encouragement about.”

Another person even offered to be Robin to his Batman. “He said, ‘If you have any overflow, I am happy to write emails, as well.’”

Rehmus said he believes his email campaigns have been a huge factor in finding his emotional footing after a couple of bleak years.

“I felt very emotionally fragile for a couple of years, but I’m very resilient now,” he said.

“That’s what I tell people,” he went on. With any life crisis, “there is a before and and after. I’m in the ‘after’ part now. They can get past it, too.”