A couple of weeks ago, I received an envelope in the mail. My name and address were written in block print, and there was no return address on the envelope. Inside, I found a card that said “This card has no purpose.” On the inside it said, “but I sent it anyway.” There was no hand writing on the inside of the card. There was nothing to indicate who sent the card with the exception of the postal stamp on the envelope indicating it had been sent from Tampa, Fla.
The other day, I received a text from a friend that said “This text has no purpose, but I sent it anyway.” It took me a couple of seconds, but it finally hit me that this text was solving the riddle related to the the origin of the card. I kept the card and intend to send it to someone and then follow up with a text message revealing my identity. Although, now that I’ve written about it, it will only work if I send it to someone that doesn’t read my column. That eliminates about 10 to 15 people.
I think the card serves as a reminder that there’s real value in reaching out to others for no reason at all other than to tell them you’re thinking of them. I’m sure the person that sent me the card was just messing with me. They knew the mystery behind the origination of the card would bother me. Even though I assume the card was meant to torment me, I rate my overall satisfaction related to the card as “high.”
Even as we get farther and farther away from the use of snail mail as a primary avenue of communication, it’s hard to beat as a means of the delivery of good will and cheer. Sure, emails are fun to get and can say the same things, but there’s something special about getting something like a card in the mail. Sure, sending a card needlessly wastes paper, but the bang you get receiving it is really much better than one transmitted via the Internet.
By the time this column is published, Melanie Martin will be sworn in as the Pulaski County Bar Association President. I’ve decided to send her this column in acknowledgment of her ascent to the peak of bar association politics here in Pulaski County. I’m not sending my congratulations via the Internet or postal carrier, but by way of the printed press. There’s no greater way to reach out to someone than by the newspaper. I know this is true, mainly because I decree it to be so.
Take the lesson from the card with no signature and reach out to someone you know, just to let them know you’re thinking of them. Remember: no matter how you do it, the effort will make their day just a little brighter. Everybody can use a little brightener now and then, especially those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville, Arkansas. His primary area of practice is criminal defense. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com