I’m still getting used to working at a desk!

 

Presently, I’m waiting on the FedEx truck. On it is my box of Harney tea that, according to the tracking website, should be delivered any minute now.  In the meantime, I snapped a quick shot of my make-shift desk.  Complete with my constant companion tea cup and a new print by Michele Maule sent to me by the lovely Suzy Lorenzen. It’s such a beautiful print, you should really go check out Michele’s work.

Sadly, the photo doesn’t do Michele’s work justice any more than this post can adequately express my gratitude to Suzy. Suzy and I became friends through Etsy and she really is an amazing person (and photographer!!). She easily tops my “The Best of Etsy People” list!  

I will not lie, I ADORE getting yummy mail. Who doesn’t? If too many days pass without something lovely in the mail, I tend to muse, “Self, you should order something from Etsy to accessorize all those bills!”

Let’s face it,  too often our mailboxes are stuffed with junk mail and bills. Form letters at Christmas. A quickly scrawled signature on birthday cards. Real letters, or notes, or tokens of affection are hard to come by. It’s a reality of being an adult— a reality I remind my child every time he makes an appeal to “email” instead of breaking out the pen and paper. “Trust me kiddo, when you start getting bills in the mail, you’ll appreciate receiving LOVE mail, too!”

Emails do suffice. For lots of things. This is not a diatribe on the superiority of paper. It’s just my rambling on about the beauty of getting something sweet in mail. Something I didn’t expect or pay for–something that simply says, “Hey, I’m thinking about you! And here’s proof!” 

With that in mind, I made it my goal this year to send small notes and gifts to friends—for no reason other than that they are loved. It’s a weekly discipline that requires some organization on my part. I’m famous for having good intentions with terrible follow through, so I keep a little reminder list in my calendar.  And I can’t tell you how many cards I have from past holidays that never made it to their intended destinations simply because I didn’t have a stamp on me. So, I keep those handy as well. I’ve started stockpiling cards I like and keeping notes of birthdays and favorite candies and real mailing addresses.  If the road to hell is paved with good intentions; then my friends, the road to heaven is paved with foresight and preparation. 

You can imagine how doubly blessed I was to get just such a “Hey, I’m thinking of you! Here’s proof!” in my mailbox today. From a person I call a friend, even if we’ve only met on Etsy. A print I would have chosen for myself from an artist that I adore. Clearly, Suzy is paving the road to heaven too!

It’s these connections that make life so special. The bills will get paid and the junk mail recycled. It’s the “Hey, I’m thinking of you! And here’s proof!” that we remember. And I hope that you find just such proof– something sweet, something wonderful in your mail this week.