The Snail Mail Project

I think I've been living under a rock - or maybe I've just been along for the ride for a bit...  Apparently people have been coming up with "birthday projects" for years now.  I learned about the phenomena from Elise's blog - one that I started following this past fall.

For those of you who have been under that rock with me, a birthday project is something akin to a new year's resolution.  You pick a goal / project that you will work toward completing by your next birthday.  Often it involves a quantity equal to your age. 

40

My age is now 40.  First thought - how on earth will I finish 40 of anything before 52 weeks roll by???  OK if I made it a simple task of eating 40 cookies I'm certain I could manage that, but I would like my goal to have a positive effect on people around me - my friends, family, even strangers.

I love to brainstorm and create crazy amounts of lists - just ask my mother.  I often run my lists by her - my ever present sounding board!  This time I came up with my project ALL ON MY OWN!  {smile}

The snail mail project

Did you notice - our address and my age match up this year?  It has to be a good sign, right?

OK - hands up - who out there doesn't enjoy getting a FUN card or letter in your mailbox??!!

To me the mailbox is like an unopened package.  It stares at you, teasing you, waiting for you to open it and see what's inside.  My sweet husband, Joel, chuckles and shakes his head at the hopeful enthusiasm I have when I venture out to our mailbox.  Often I come in with a handful of "regular mail", but the next day I'm back out there with that same optimism!  Our two dogs agree - the mailbox is a wonderful place to be!  (of course their excitement stems from the fact that they get to go on a grand adventure out the front door, with the potential to visit with the neighbors, but still the word mailbox is part of their vocabulary, and they know exactly where it is!) 

With any luck, the Snail Mail Project will put some fun back into the mailbox for friends and family as well!

In an attempt to keep my project from overwhelming me I've decided to set up a few parameters (I'll call them anything but rules - who wants rules for a fun project?). 

1. The goal is to send out FUN snail mail during at least 40 of the next 52 weeks.
2. There must be at least two paragraphs of a handwritten message contained within the snail mail.  {really, a card is nice, but a couple of short paragraphs in your handwriting is so much sweeter!}
3. Try and surprise someone new each month.  {sorry mom, you're not going to get ALL the mail from this project!}
4. Write a short blog update for each successful week. 

That's it - what do you think? 

The benefits - I get to write letters...  OK, I already do that, but not often enough.  Those letters will go out to a wider audience (if parameter number 3 is carried out properly).  Recipients will be pleasantly surprised that there's more than bills in the mystery box that sits at the end of the driveway (hopefully).

Who wants to join me???  Help return the mailbox to the happy stop on the way in from work.  And if this catches on and spreads like wild fire, maybe the price of a stamp will hold steady for a while... 

If you've made it this far...  Let's go spread some sunshine!

~ Kathy