I shall toss this idea out into the blogoshphere even though I have no idea if anyone will jump on the bandwagon. Or exactly how it will work. I just know that I've thought of it before, and after a couple days ago, I've been thinking about it every day. And I will gladly take your input.
The other day I got my mail. It was all a bunch of crapola. Most of my bills I either pay online or in person anymore. My rent and utilities are graciously paid for by my employers (aka, my grandparents). So in my mailbox was all junk mail. I didn't keep a single thing. I ripped it up and shoved it in the trash. It's freaking depressing, folks. Anymore, the only thing I have to look forward to is a DVD from Netflix, or on the off-chance I've made a purchase online, a package from whatever website I splurged on.
That's just sad, people.
I've written in the past about pen-pals I used to write to. I mean, actual physical letters. I was put a stamp on it, and mail it. And waited on pins and needles to get a reply. And believe me when I say, I always smiled when I got mail. Now, I started writing to pen-pals when I was in the 7th grade. And back then, that was the only mail I received at that age. After I moved out, I got bills which didn't make me smile. But what did were the letters I received. I even wrote these letters not using an email. After awhile, I would type the letters instead of handwriting them because I was usually typing an essay or research paper for my professors - so why not write a letter while I was sitting there. But I would always sign my name. It was the least I could do, right?
These days, I'll get a birthday card, or a Christmas card in the mail. That's about it. And that's only two days out of the year that people take time out to send someone else a card.
Here's what I propose: Some sort of letter campaign. Not even really a campaign per se. Devoting time to a lost art of sending something in the mail, just knowing that when that person opens their box, they get a smile. Postcard, letter, a simple card that just says "hi". Something simple. It doesn't have to be a 10 page letter unless you want it to be. There could be a rotation of some kind - one month it's my turn. Next month it's your turn. Of course, this only works if we are willing to hand over our physical/mailing addresses. I wouldn't ask anyone to post their information in the comment section - sending it via email would preserve some amount of privacy. And when you get a postcard, letter, or regular card from so-and-so, you can share it. Tell us what state it came from or something.
Anyway, I know that postal rates differ if we're mailing over our borders, but buying a stamp or two to send a card to someone across the pond or something can't be all that bad, right?
So, that's my idea. I'd love your feedback on this. Even if I just get a couple of people who want to do it, that's okay, too. So tell me what you think.
