Killing Time with Another TLWR Giveaway

I have had a really great post written and sitting in my drafts for several days now. Why? As I mentioned, I went on my 3rd field trip last Thursday and because it involves Canada Post, I felt it was only appropriate to send the draft to one of the powers-that-be to give his seal of approval before posting it online. Turns out, he is a very busy man so I am patiently waiting to receive an email from him to let me know that the information is accurate and represents Canada Post in a positive light. In the meantime, I am throwing up these silly posts in an attempt to kill time while I wait.

I came upon another blog, "I Love Letters", that I am enjoying. This blog comes out of rural Australia and is easy to read and follow and has a very warm "feel" to it. 'Kaz' posts her address and welcomes letters. She promises to write back so if you feel like sending a letter to Australia, she's the one to send it to. I also came upon"A Postcard A Day." In her words: "I'm one of those people who has led a nomadic existence, and so did my parents. My father started collecting postcards as a way to continue this life at least in spirit when his wandering days were over. I'm continuing the collection and posting at least one, chosen more or less at random, each day." It's like taking a mini virtual vacation to places and times you may never have visited had it not been for this blog. Not only can you visit exotic places all over the world, many of the postcards are from long ago and due to the research that goes into each post, you feel like a time traveller. This is especially great for those of us who are home bound due to careers, commitments and children.

So, while I wait, why not have another awesome GIVEAWAY? No matter where you are in the world, you can win this GIVEAWAY. This time, TLWR is giving away a  Letter Writing Kit. Not only will you receive a package with all things you need for letter writing but a part of the gift will be personalized stationery courtesy of Inky Design of Ottawa, ON, Canada. To be eligible, you must be a follower of The Letter Writing Revolution blog and then all you have to do is leave a comment below to enter. Comment once per day if you wish until Wednesday, October 20th when the winner will be randomly selected and announced. I recently received personalized stationery from Inky Design and it is beautiful and classy! The winner will email me their address and before long you will receive a gift of all things stationery! This GIVEAWAY will be mailed to you wherever you may be.

On a final note, I recently made a decision to take a sabbatical from Facebook. I have never been into Twitter but I have found Facebook has slowly started to take control over my time. Reminds me of the way I used to have the odd cigarette and before long I was a pack-a-day smoker. I created a profile on Facebook about three years ago and now it is a habit that I check into several times per day. Gotta know if Karen P. is happy/sad/constipated/hungover, etc.or whether or not Janet L. is eating a bagel/bored or on her way to work. Seriously. When I actually thought about it, I realized that aside from the cool links and photos, I really waste a heck of a lot of time on there. I know, I know, I really could control my urges more and only allow myself 30-minutes per day on Facebook but I am an all-or-nothing kind of a gal and so I decided to just have a leave of absence and go "cold turkey" just as I did with my smoking habit 12 years ago. So far, so good. It's been 48 hours and aside from a handful of panicked comments, I haven't received any FB messages and I feel free. I have also accomplished a lot in the last couple of days as I am not getting distracted and losing pockets of time on Facebook. My sister said something to the effect of, "It will be interesting to see who your "friends" are when you're not so easily accessible on Facebook."

Sorry...couldn't resist.

I guess it's the false sense of connection that I get from Facebook and the weirdness I feel when I run into someone who I haven't seen in two years and they ask me about something I did a month ago. When I look at them with that twisted/confused look, they reply, "Oh, I read it on Facebook." That creeps me out and I think I want to return to real connection like phone calls and handwritten letters. This cartoon  was posted in the comments at Good Mail Day. Made me laugh.

One last thing..........
The other day, I asked a friend (during a chat on, you guessed it,  Facebook) for his snail mail address as I wanted to send a birthday invitation to his son for our daughter's birthday. A few minutes later, I received an email from him with his email address in the body of the message. Huh? I replied and explained that I needed his street address and postal code as I wanted to mail an invitation. His reply, "Oh! Weird. Paper. I remember that. We'll have to find our mailbox!"

Yep, time for a revolution. A Letter Writing Revolution.

Catching Up

I have officially completed the "45 Letters in 45 Days" Challenge which actually turned out to be "16 Letters in 8 Days or So"  Challenge. In the midst of writing to the Followers who requested a letter, I was continuing to receive letters from all over the place and trying to answer them in a timely manner. I didn't want it to turn into a chore or become something I had to do. I felt this pressure to answer the letters I received within 24 hours and then it dawned on me............ there is no time frame to answering letters. I am so accustomed to email that I was treating the letter writing the same way. Must answer letters NOW. Must answer letters NOW. A gentle reminder to myself that writing a letter to someone when I actually felt like writing the letter to that particular person and writing when I know I will have some uninterrupted time is what is important. If it takes a week after the letter arrives in my mailbox before I can sit down and write then so be it. I think this is part of the hesitation for some of you.

Are you afraid that letter writing will become just 'one more thing' to add on to your already lengthy "To Do" list? Trust me, you either like it or you don't and if you like writing and receiving letters then you will be able to set aside some time each week for yourself to stay connected in a way that is far more meaningful then a text or an email. If I can find the time, YOU can find the time. You'll just have to trust me on that fact.

It is such a false sense of connection when your only contact with your friends/family members is through a text or an email. It really is. I know this for certain especially now that I have been an avid letter writer and receiver since launching TLWR only six weeks ago. Don't fool yourself into thinking that sending off an email to your parents or a mass mail out to your friends suffices. It doesn't. Period. I mean if that is all you can truly manage, well, it is better than nothing. My mom even commented the other day how she misses getting letters from us....granted I live 400 metres from her so writing letters to her about my day would be just plain silly. I think she gets annoyed when she calls or stops in and attempts to tell me about something my sister said and I announce, "Ya, I know. I read it on Facebook." I can just see her cursing to herself......"Damn that Facebook. Always beating me to it."

If you are one of the thousand or so people expected to read this post and have yet to become a follower.....please join the revolution and become an official follower. As you finish reading this post, I urge you to write a letter to your mom or dad or a sibling or a friend. No one to write to but you're lovin' the revolution........send ME a letter and you are guaranteed a letter back....Julie Keon, P.O Box 533, Cobden, Ontario, K0J 1K0, Canada. I'll be waiting for your letter.