Mail

3/27/2014

I know that all of you receive and send mail.  Unlike in the "old" days, when you actually received written correspondence from family and friends,what you get in the mail today is generally lumped into three categories: (a) BILLS (ick); (b) catalogs whether you want them or not; and  (c) last, but not least, offers to sign up for a new credit card, the "you've just won" a million dollars (that would be AFTER you send in "x" dollars as a sign of good faith!; or other offers for car and/or life insurance, etc.  

I don't know what 's in your mailbox, but all of the above appears in mine.  Unsolicited mail (which is pretty much everything), ends up in the shredder.  Why? Because I don't want to just toss out a piece of mail with our name and address on it.  I obviously don't shred catalogs, but I do shred the name/address part of them.  

I once worked with a man who was super paranoid and I even had to shred the envelopes! I have never gotten to the level where I believe I need to shred empty envelopes because I can't imagine what use that envelope would be to anyone.  Of course we have lost our innocence and acknowledge that people now can and do hack into our computers, cell phones and gather a lot of information about us from social media.  

Speaking of social media, I stay far away from revealing too much about myself and my life. I prefer to keep most of my business my business.  And if you're family or a friend, then you already know what's going on in my life.  Perhaps, I'm just as paranoid as my old boss was!

Let's talk about bread and butter notes.  I know that some of you are wondering what I'm talking about.  The term "Bread and Butter" has been around for over 200 years and is thought to have originated in England. It refers to the handwritten note declaring one’s appreciation for someone else's generosity in providing lodging and/or food. In the United States, its meaning has expanded to a general thank you for an overnight stay, a special dinner or food brought during illness or death.  And - it should be handwritten on something other than a yellow legal pad!  Just think about how much information I've just given you!

P