Snail Mail Project
Did you have a pen pal when you were in elementary and high school? Did you anxiously wait for the mail carrier to deliver something from that pen pal?
Or maybe you get excited around your birthday and the holidays when the mail carrier delivers something other than junk mail and bills.
In sixth grade, we (all the students in the three classrooms in my elementary school) were given a choice of two junior high schools, and each junior high school would register students from six or more feeder schools. Although a few of the students I had attended sixth grade with joined me at Lincoln Junior High, it felt like walking into school knowing nobody.
At Lincoln, I developed a few friendships that have withstood the test of time: we still write each other, call each other, and when possible, get together.
In the fall of my freshman year of high school, one of these friends moved to the East Coast. I remember mailing and receiving hand-written letters from her. I would sit down on the couch in the living room, reread her letter, and pen a return.
In the 1970’s, my parents paid a connection fee for a long distance phone call followed by a charge for each minute that passed. Calling my friend on the East Coast was not an option, and when we did call each other, my parents would set a 10 minute timer.
When social media entered the scene, communication via snail mail seemed to decline and the art of letter writing has diminished. Although social media has made connecting with friends and relatives instantaneous, most posts contain general information meant for everyone. I miss that personal connection hand-written cards and letters give me. In fact, in writing my 2019 Christmas cards, I ditched the generic form letter in favor of short hand-written messages and phone calls.
You have a mailbox that is either attached to your home or a post down by the end of your driveway, or it sits, somewhere, surrounded by a group of other little cubbyhole boxes. A mail carrier approaches your mailbox, opens it, places a few items inside, and moves on to the next mail box.
When I go to the mailbox to collect my mail, I generally find bills for utilities, requests for my business from insurance and credit card companies, advertising fliers, and even the occasional advertisement for a local mortuary.
BUT SOMETIMES –
I find birthday cards, Christmas cards, little “I’m thinking about you” notes, or newsy letters from friends that put a smile on my face.
Are you tired of only finding bills and junk mail in your mailbox?
I’d like put a smile on your face at least once this year (2020) when you discover a piece of mail that isn’t a bill or a piece of junk. Something just for you to brighten your day.
So, here’s my offer for 2020.
If you would like something in your snail mail box other than bills and junk mail, something that just might make you smile, drop me an email at rebecca@rebeccakojetin.com
- Please put “I’m In” as the subject.
- Include your name and address so I know where to send your snail mail.
- Add your birthday (month and date) for a birthday card.
- Add your preferred holiday (Christmas – Hanukkah – or other) for a holiday card.
It may be a card to brighten your day; but it may contain a letter or a small quote of wisdom to hang on your fridge, or it may contain some type of artwork, it might be a recipe, you never know.