The Gift of Solitude

     As the rhythms in the house change, I find myself alone more than I have in the last few years. There is silence to savor, peace in which I can unwind, time for uninterrupted reading. The animals surround me. The house can be as warm or as cool as I like.
     Would I want to live alone? I look back on my life and think of the brief times that I actually have lived alone. I don't remember disliking being alone. But at the time, I was young enough to anticipate finding that one person to share my life, so I suppose I fretted, not appreciating being alone.
     People like me probably should not try to share space with others. I'm an introvert. I like quiet. I like to be able to put my hand on an object in the place I last laid it. I like room for creating art if I like, diving into a research project just for fun, and watching my choice of movies or TV. Often, if I've nothing scheduled for the weekend, I don't even leave the house. Sometimes I don't even go outdoors.
     But I love my family. And I love our pets. Lately, though, I'm enjoying the gift of solitude. This, I have discovered, is what a person needs so that they can live with others the rest of the time.

February

     February is the worst month. The holidays are long past, and spring is not near enough. All there is to look forward to is Lent (bleah). I'm sure that Valentine's Day is an invention just to improve February, to stem the tides of depression.
     The Month of Letters Challenge has done more for me than Valentine's Day. It's nice to look forward to going to the mailbox rather than putting it off because of the bills, or the packages containing the regrettable late-night Ebay purchases.

     Did I say regrettable? Not all of them. Not too long ago, I mentioned my favorite second-grade library book here. Well, guess what? You're right! I found it on Ebay! And for only 99 cents (really wish keyboards had a cent symbol on them! If you know where it is, let me know.) plus shipping I could own it, like I wished to all those years ago. So, yesterday was an especially wonderful mail day, bringing me all those cards and postcards and my very own copy of The Blue-Nosed Witch. Do not ask me why I loved that little book so much, but finally, fifty-plus years after second grade, it's finally mine.
     Time for me to go and finish my correspondence for the day--a letter to a Dear Friend in Georgia, and a postcrossing postcard.  One more photo to post here--an envelope I decorated to send another Dear Friend, this one in Maryland, her promised "handmade" item. I hope you enjoy both, Emily!  (I think I want to get into "mail art.")

Further thoughts on snail mail

"Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company."

-Lord Byron

First postcard 

Three pieces of mail received so far this week! Two cards from friends here in town, one Valentine from a sister deaconess in Waco. But even better than receiving mail in my own box is feedback from people to whom I've sent mail. My friend Caitlin in the U.K. announced on Facebook that she had received a handwritten letter from me. And my friend Becky in Hawaii messaged me via FB that she was thrilled to receive something other than bills and junk in her mailbox. Also, my first postcrossing postcard arrived at its destination--thank goodness for those U.S. addresses that pop up. I could grow even older than I am, waiting for those sent to former Soviet bloc countries to arrive. 

Now that I'm paying attention, I find that there are a number of like-minded, dedicated letter-writers in the world. This afternoon I discovered The Missive Maven and her delightful blog. Compared to her, I am a real slacker. She mails dozens of letters plus dozens of postcards each month, not counting her postcrossing postcards. Wow. I couldn't afford that, in the first place, nor do I have that much time. And then there's the fear I picked up in school when I was writing all those papers (dear God, what possessed me to study Humanities?): I'm going to run out of words! Of course, the real excuse is that I just don't know that many people. Trolling for pen pals seems awfully lame--so my small circle of friends and my family are subjected to a constant bombardment in their mailboxes. 

If anyone reads this, send me your address so I can mail you something! 

Pen and Paper

Last year, I began writing (yes, writing, with pen and paper) letters and cards to my friends, being intentional about staying in touch with people I care about. I was semi-successful at it, even sending Christmas cards, which I haven't done in years.
Now, thanks to A Month of Letters Challenge and Postcrossing.com, I am going far over my entertainment budget on postage. And so far, the score, if I kept one, is many pieces of mail out, zero in. But that's all right. This is something to do for me, something I like that takes me out of the mundane and away from the steenking television.
So, this week I have sent:
1 package to Kansas.
1 postcard to Russia.
1 postcard to Georgia (the state).
1 postcard to Belarus.
1 postcard to Poland.
1 postcard to The Netherlands.
1 postcard to Maryland.
1 postcard to Hawaii.
1 birthday card to Sugar Land.
1 letter to Oklahoma.
1 letter to Kansas.
1 letter to someone here in town.