*I apologize if the following does not flow right or sounds all over the place. I just started typing and this is what came out.*
Remember when communication was via USPS? Though most of my life has been "plugged in", I was fortunate to live part of my life when people still wrote letters, used land lines, and had no communication with others unless they were face to face. "Real" mail has so much power. To this day, when I walk out to the mail box and see an envelope with a handwritten name and address, my heart leaps. Half the time it is a company who pulled a fast one on me by having their envelopes mimic a handwritten one, but then ends up being a stupid advertisement. GRR! The other half of the time it is a letter of worth. We are so used to instant, electronic communication. It takes minutes, sometimes seconds, to send an email, text, fb message, etc. Actually writing a letter takes thought, care, & time. So, when we receive a piece of tangible mail from someone, we truly know we were thought of. It is such a beautiful thing. Everybody wants to be thought of, and everyone smiles a bit more when they know they were thought of (At least I do). I run out to the mailbox daily in hopes that I may have received a treasure. Most of the time there is nothing but advertisements and monthly bills (which, btw, are also minimizing due to online payments...I don't mind this though).
Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the instant communication that has developed during my lifetime. It has helped our business out so much, allowed me to stay in touch with long distant friends and family, and kept me in the loop of what is going on in the world. I love to text message, check facebook and twitter, check my email throughout the day, find out the weather within seconds, and everything else that my iPhone and computer allow me to do. Sometimes I get so caught up in the instant society and forget what life was like before. Were we happy when we didn't know everything NOW? The answer is yes. We were happy and knew nothing more than what we had. Being a fan of the instant society does not mean that I don't miss the "old days". Nowadays if I want to unplug from everything, I have to let everyone know. Even then, i couldn't just unplug from my work email or cell as I might miss out on a job. It is almost impossible to disconnect from everything. The only solution is to use a bit more judgement and self control on how much of ourselves we put out there. Some things should be saved for in person conversations or a handwritten letter.
I am not the best at actually following through with things I say or goals I make. It is something I have always struggled with. But, I would love to make a point of writing a letter a week, or even a letter every two weeks, and actually mailing it (I say this because I ALSO have a tendency to never actually mail letters and let them sit by the front door). I have the stamps (Disney ones!) on my refrigerator and stationary in the closet. My goal for October is to write more letters/cards and make someone smile when they walk to the mailbox and find a handwritten envelope addressed to them.
In closing, let me just give a huge shout out to Amber Brooks! As I am writing this blog, my husband is practicing Amber's worship songs for when he plays a set with her soon. I cannot help but want to worship when I hear her songs....the house is so peaceful right now.
Alright, it's time to go get the mail! Who knows, maybe there will be something special out there!?
