A Tale of Two Pieces of Mail

Yesterday I was having some serious writer's block preparing my dissertation proposal which was over due and I really needed to get it to my advisor so he could give me some guidance. I decided to take a break and go check the mail. It's so hard to write when you look out your window and it's so pretty outside. So off I went and it was especially full which made me think about all the recycling I was going to have to do (ya know, remove the envelopes with the plastic windows, destroy things with my personal information, etc) due to lots of junk mail. Then I see a card with rather nice stationery. Man I love stationery. It was a thank you card from Anna for a birthday present I had sent with Matt when they had brunch last week (and I was out of town).  

Over time you sort of stop giving birthday and Christmas gifts to your friends. Or they dwindle down quite a bit or become a nice card if you have friends that are thoughtful enough to send you a card. Anna and I are still keeping up the gift exchanging mostly because we give each other some pretty RANDOM stuff that is still useful and affordable. We are basically the perfect gift receivers because we don't think these gifts are strange at all so I think we have fun buying things for each other. 

I usually get Anna eco-based gifts. A few years ago I got her reusable produce bags. Think of all the plastic we can save over time by not using those provided sacks at the grocery store. If you're interested you can find them here. 

Another year I found some hand-made reusable coffee sleeves that some girls made for the farmer's market so I got one for Anna. Supporting local business and eco-friendly? Easy target right here. 

I am also a big fan of the "themed" gift. This year the theme was eco-cleaning. I bought her some tea-towels because they're a great alternative to paper towels and they are also great for drying dishes without water spots. We got some hand made tea towels for a wedding gift and I love them. I use them too much and they are getting stains which makes me sad because I know they were stitched by hand but I couldn't just put them in a chest to never be used. I also have been making my own laundry detergent (you can read out it here). I also learned a very simple way to re-use those Bath & Body Works soap pumps to make your own hand soap with essential oils. I made "Faux-Breze" (Febreeze) and gave her some of Mrs. Meyers counter top spray which I love and adore. She can also reuse the basket for whatever. I was pretty pleased with the assortment. 

She sent me a nice personal thank you card because we both have dedication to politeness (and the use of our adorable stationery).  My relationship with Anna is really important to me and I hope we continue to give each other quirky gifts over time because they say a lot about her friendship. I am also mad at her for moving to Ft. Worth after I finally moved back to Oklahoma but I suppose I can't expect everyone to forego excellent career opportunities for my sake....but sometimes I wish I could!

I also got another piece of mail that came in a big envelope that was colored on and very happy. The return address said from Macy. I know one Macy and she is the MOST ADORABLE little girl. I would post pictures but I don't have her mom's permission (as in... I didn't ask not that she said no) so you'll have to just take my word for it. We are talking model baby.  There was a lovely card about how they (Macy and her mom Lucy) just wanted to send me a gift to let me know I was loved. I am officially ready for the first game of the season this year!

I cannot tell you how much of an investment a random act of kindness is in someone's life.  My heart was completely warmed that for no reason at all outside of love a friend would just send me a package with no stipulations or obligations. She (they) just wanted me to know that she loved me. What a wonderful feeling. 

Even better, my reaction is that I totally want to pay this forward. I want to lift someone else up with a random act of kindness so the ripple effect of Lucy's (and Macy's) action could reach far beyond what they ever intended.  Lucy and I have a really cool relationship that is actually difficult to describe. I think our friendship is based on mutual respect and admiration of the character qualities of each other. She is one of those people that you could talk to for a really long time and also appreciate her advice. She is a good human and I miss her a lot. I have so many friends that I would love to transport back in time with and live in the sorority house and re-live the good 'ol days instead of talk about them. 

But ultimately we grow up and move on. We get to celebrate these new exciting chapters together like new jobs, promotions, weddings, and even a new season of friends having babies. 

I am so incredibly blessed to have these sorts of friends. I also encourage you readers to go commit a random act of kindness because I guarantee you underestimate the value of such behavior. And send thank you cards because at this stage in our lives if you can't afford a card and a stamp after someone who does something so kind for you, you aint livin' right. 

Posted in: Reflections