BEING HUMAN
Be That Weirdo Who Sends Cards
It’s so old-fashioned that it’s positively unique again
Hi, my name is Joe.
Hello, Joe. Anything you want to share with the group tonight?
It’s a little embarrassing. Ugh, (coughs), this is, this is so hard…
Take your time. You’re in a safe space. There are no judgements here. Just allow the words to come.
Okay, hello, my name is Joe —
Hi, Joe.
And I’m a card-sender…
(Gasps)
I know it’s what grandmas do but… but I just can’t stop, it’s who I am.
(Silence ensues. The group ponders, looks at the floor, disgusted).
This is the reaction I encounter when people learn I still send paper cards through the mail. Yes, I put a piece of heavier paper into another piece of paper, attach some sticky thing to the outside, put my trust in some service, and after a few days it somehow makes it across the country, usually undamaged, for some other human to open and read.
Still a miracle, if you think about it.
I can see you nodding, “yeah, at Christmas,” but no, I mean just on a random Tuesday in March. On an ordinary Friday.
Madness!!! Sacrilege!
In this world of instant gratification, nothing’s more counterintuitive, but if you wanna stand out, businesses and average humans— yes, you! — would be well-advised to revisit the handwritten card.
500 emails a day. Endless screen time.
E-cards and Evites. Videos and Vimeos.
Reels and Stories; Likes and Claps.
You crave a break from the monotony, the noise of 9,000 people saying, “Look at me!”
The mail arrives — eh, it’s always junk and promotions but oh, what’s this???”
Instant curiosity and engagement. A gift, a tiny grain of humanity.
When was the last time you received a non-Birthday or non-Christmas card in the mail? Do you remember? I’m sure you couldn’t wait to open it. An analog morsel in the digital morass.
And folks, people remember that shit.
Just look at the bits of color and feeling you can drop into someone’s life. YOU can break them out of the cycle of one-track thinking.
Whoa… I’m not part of a giant spreadsheet or mass mailing — someone took time to think of me and write this and send it… to ME!
I can hear the complaints
Cards are expensive, postage, outrageous.
And what about my terrible handwriting?
- Trader Joe’s — cards are $1
- Dollar Tree — two cards for $1.25
But the secret sauce? Thrift stores. Church rummage sales, swap meets and yard sales. Or people just cleaning out clutter.
We’re talking gorgeous images, blank inside so you can add your spin and sentiment — and often 10 cents a card, maybe 25 cents.
Kick those $4 Hallmark cards to the curb and find these cheaper delights.
I’m not talking daily.
Once a month, to someone who needs it. Someone who’s important to you. No, not the same person 12 times a year. Whoever you want, once a month.
To a client, a paper thank you card with humor and a heartfelt note will make them remember you way more than video email number four hundred twenty-nine earlier today.
It takes the tiniest bit of work, but makes all the difference.
Ponder it. Experiment. Do it for them, but also do it for you.
Yes, take pen to paper and create something — a moment, a feeling.
Handwriting be damned — if it’s nasty, then help bring printing back in style. My cards are always printed, handwritten, but not in cursive — (perhaps a bit too quickly though, thanks for that reminder!, I need to slow down so people can successfully read what I’m communicating).
Join us.
Join the semi-middle-aged, the grandmothers of the nation, and the businesses in the know, who are returning to paper snail mail offers, promo cards and personalized notes.
And yes, men too! Don’t think you can sneak outta here, dudes.
People somehow might expect this from the ladies — (blatantly sexist) — but that means as a man you’ll stand out even more when you send a short, sweet, funny and heartfelt personal card.
You’re about to rise up out of the crowd, to be remembered as the unique you that you are.
© Joe Guay, 2024
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