I Heart Mail. I Do!

Yesterday it was Make-Shift Mailboxes. Today it is Friendship Journals and Flat Stanley. Clearly I have mail on the mind!

I have Friendship Journals on the mind, because my very good and patient friend, Dawn, is still waiting for the journal's Arizona arrival. Here's the quick low down. About eight years ago ten women I knew tried to join forces to begin a never ending Friendship Journal. The idea was the journal would fill with entries as it moved from person to person. I think the journal started in Georgia, stopped in Arizona, then LA, and then New York where it was lost and never recovered. That was the end of that.


Two years ago my friend Dawn suggested we revive the idea, but this time modified to be a touch more realistic. Round two has worked much better. She started us off. Back and forth between the two of us the journal has gone, ever since. The pages are filled with funny stories, serious reflections, family photos, recipes, winning ideas, life ambitions, and so much more. There's no timeline and no pressure. Hang onto it for a month (or more...) or turn it right around. Tag your it. That's why it works. It's just a simple gesture reflecting our own going commitment to stay in touch... forever.

I savor the days the journal shows up in my mailbox. I never let myself open the envelope immediately, as it is impossibly tempting to flip to the last page and get her latest update. No, instead I savor the experience. I tuck the journal away and make a date with myself. I either go to Starbucks for a cup of coffee, where I can hide in the corner of the store and read the pages slowly, or I curl up under the covers in my bedroom. Either way, it is quiet, uninterrupted time. For those fifteen or twenty minutes I am single, with no kids and remembering what life was like surrounded by supportive and loving girlfriends. It is my oasis.

We've learned a few things along the way... things you might think about should you be inspired to start up your own journal.

• Ship it "Media Mail." It costs less and because there's no rush... it works out fine.
  
• Bubble envelopes can be recycled if you using mailing labels and cut the top.
  
• You'll be surprised to find all the fun, one-dimensional things you can fit in the pages of a journal (DVD's, CD's magazine clippings, stickers, quotes, photographs). Have fun with it and view it as another venue for your creativity.
  

So today the journal is Arizona bound. Off for another journey - carrying with it fun tales, hopes and dreams, pictures, and thoughtful questions. And, maybe a small treat is included in the envelope to boot. From the moment I mail it, the wait begins for its long journey back to Texas. Dawn, tag you're it!

Speaking of journeys... check out Helena's Flat Stanley adventure under today's posts. She did a great job of hosting Stanley in Canada and now he's off to his next destination. Julie beat our readership to the punch, so she is his next host. I am not sure where Julie is posting from (we have a couple), but where ever it is, Flat Stanley is sure to have fun! Julie, pass along your mailing address and I will be sure Helena gets it.

Signing off until tomorrow when we will DEFINITELY will be whacked on the side of the head...

Happy Trails to Stanley

Good Morning. I trust everyone had a good Easter and hope that at least one of you was able to use a fun Easter idea generated by our readers. We tried the color coded Easter egg hunt, allowing my youngest son a fighting chance against the older two. There was no fighting and no bleeding, so two thumbs up from the Beeny household. Last week was fun for me. All things green.... Monday, Shamrock Shakes; Tuesday, Flowers and Plants; Wednesday, Whack on the Side of the Head; Thursday, My Great Day Green Plate; Friday, Show Me the Money; and Saturday, Green the Red Hot New Color. If you missed any, you might briefly check them out. Three friends served as contributing writers and that made for some extra fun.

Today, Texas bids farewell to Flat Stanley and boards a plane for Canada, where he will be met by our very own blog reader, Helena! Our most loyal readers might remember a blog titled, One, Two, Three... Cheese (2/22). I told of my adventures hosting many a Flat Stanley for friends whose children are in elementary school. Hosting Flat Stanley is great fun, as it requires you to take Stanley on an adventure and then send a postcard telling the story of his trip.

Helena, one of our earliest blog readers lamented that she felt cheated for never having been asked to host a Flat Stanley. That was all I needed to hear! I started thinking... wouldn't it be great if we... highlowaha blog readers could start our own Flat Stanley. Surely this creative and loyal readership can think up some great adventures and keep Stanley moving. Thus, the idea was born and here we are, Monday, March 24, sending Stanley off on the first of his adventures.

Helena will host him first, taking him on some uniquely Canadian experience and then sending him off to the next willing reader (hint, hint... this is where you all come in and volunteer to get in the queue for next host). Once Helena has taken him on an adventure, she will send me a photograph and brief tale of his experience. I will post it on the blog site for everyone to see and then we will move on to the next willing host. This will be fun, fun, fun! Think of it. We can live vicariously through Stanley... and all because Helena was unwilling to go a lifetime without joining in this fun.

One more note before signing off. If we can get Flat Stanley around the world (and I believe we can) then I know we can get 5,000 hits on my blog. Once we hit that magic number, I get to share the story behind why the site is names highlowaha (I do believe it is one of my better ideas... should that sweeten the pot for you at all). To date we have 1,503. That means we need another 3,497. You might remember, my goal is April 16. One of our readers posted that date as her prediction and I'm wed to it, because it happens to be one of my son's birthdays. This will be virtually impossible if each of us continues to read at the rate we are currently reading. BUT, if each of us emails the site to just one more person than we will be well on our way.

Ok. That's it for today. Thanks for keeping this such fun. Signing off for today...