Cardies

Cardfinders R Us. I stand in the spanish section trying to make out the meanings of cards I will never send, christenings and fathers days and sister cards. I screen them for witticisms. I laugh aloud. The card aisle is a free and entertaining boost on a dreary day.

Maybe I am destined to be a maker of cards for card people, you know the kind of people that find it eminently worthwhile to dig up a stamp, sit down and write a note, seal and send. And these days, it's sad but true that it has to be entertaining to be worthwhile.

I've always had faith that all these cards will make it to their destinations until recently when we had an opportunity to track a big mailing. A full 10% of them didn't arrive, and we know that because we called to be sure. And of the 90% remaining cards that did arrive, 10% of those replies didn't arrive. So that's 10% of the original mailing, less 10% on the return, which puts them somewhere around a C average, right?  With only one task in life, shouldn't they be better at it?

We get deliveries for 1008-some-other-street at least one day a week, and they get ours I assume, some that make it back around eventually and some that does not. Every now and then we don't get a bill at all and hopefully notice it before the due date. One day last month the neighbors 3 doors down brought their neighbor's mail to them, and they brought theirs to their next door neighbor and so on down to us and we brought our neighbor's mail next door. And so forth and so on.

Is this a training route or something? No, same gal. I was out watering the flowers the other day and she came by around 11 to stuff 'our' mail into the slot and snatch the mail from the clip at the top. I greeted her, thinking she has no idea what a thorn in our side she has become, and she greeted me back acting unimportant and invisible. Her job hugely matters to us, that our bills arrive and go out on time and cards and letters, too. I watched her stooped shoulders as she unhappily stuffed the cards into her bag and moved on.