Snail mail is the best mail 12/10/2009
I got a call at 10:31 a.m. on Wednesday, December 9, from my brother letting me know that my godmother passed away. After being stunned, sad, and feeling guilty that I hadn't talked to her since Mother's Day, I just stared into space. It's always difficult to put into words how you feel when someone you're very cool with is no longer there. She's known me all my life and been very active in my life, so it's not like she was just my parents' best friends who introduced the two of them. She was my ace too. An hour after I heard the news, I got a letter in the mail from my mother with a memo attached to a check (early Christmas gift) that said "Life is too short, enjoy every 2nd." The timing of it all was exhausting. I went to an ATM to cash the check and burst into tears. I know the folks at that bank must be thinking, "Man, she must really be broke." :-) But after shedding a few good tears when I left the bank, I came home and sat down in my home office looking around. I'm a full-time freelance journalist, blogger and transcriptionist, and I called my contacts to let them know I needed the day off. One of the perks of working from home is that I can be by myself and work on my own time, but I also tend to get buried in work. Hence the reason I can be bad about visiting people in person instead of emails, Facebook, and Twitter. Social networking sites are wonderful. I love them and use them constantly. But Facebook, Twitter, and email just weren't cutting it for me. I wanted more. I was trying to find a way to snap out of the daze I was in so I started digging through shoeboxes full of letters and cards I've collected since elementary school, and I lucked up on a letter I got from my godmother in college at Lincoln University. I read that letter and fell out laughing. Snail mail seems to be underrated these days, but there's nothing more precious than someone taking the time to write (with their own pen, paper, and handwriting--not typed) you a letter, put a stamp on it, and make your mailbox smile. When was the last time you wrote someone a letter? Do it. Give them those happy, personalized memories. Comments Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply |