It's in the mail
I’m a digital girl who still loves playing IRL (in real life). Fast Company’s Matt Haber published an article on Friday that made me want to reach out and hug him – well actually, it made me want to send a physical thank-you note – as in a note card written in my own hand – and mail it to him.
I tweet, I blog, I post, I bbm and I sms with ferocious speed on a very regular basis – except at dinner, that’s just rude. But a little known fact about me is that I am passionate about sending mail. At Christmas I send no fewer than 300 hand written cards, and I am the freak that likes to get them out in the mail early. Ask my husband. In the weeks leading up to the self inflicted “get it in the mail” cut-off date circled in red on our family calendar, a digital file that lives on our Mac aptly nicknamed “Grand Plan Central”, you can find me in the oddest place writing out our cards. Saturday morning at Starbucks, the lobby of my gym waiting for a yoga class to start, the airport I’m stranded in, wherever I am I have my trusty card kit at the ready. A few blank cards, a couple different coloured pens, decorative stickers and the all important postage stamps.
In Matt’s article, he’s explaining the brain child of Quarterly Co. – which I am now convinced was built for me. According to their website Quarterly Co is a subscription service that enables people to receive physical items in the mail from influential contributors of their choice. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to come home and find a cool package waiting for you? Of course, if you don’t see what you like in their concept but you’re still down with getting amazing, albeit random stuff in the mail, you may want to check out The Thing Quarterly. You guessed it; your subscription gets you a Thing each quarter. (Dear Thing and/or Quarterly Co please ask Johnny Depp to contribute a lock of his hair, I will subscribe, twice.)
In a world where things move faster than ever before, and most of us are “on” 24/7 – except at dinner, that really is just rude lady at the table next to me who’s poor husband is rolling his eyes again – it is a great pleasure to come across Matt’s article, and find out that there are more folks out there like me then I thought. I wonder if Quarterly Co or The Thing Quarterly has thought of building a social portal for its members to connect on, or leveraging say, I don’t know, Facebook. I’m going send them a note card and let them know I can help with that. I am after all, a digital girl who loves playing IRL.
