Mail Call

Every afternoon at the 214th Combat Aviation Battalion, Corporal Fleury raised the 4' X 4" shutter that covered the outside access to the mail room, and shouted, "Mail call," even though he knew without looking up from the task that he was wasting his breath, since every man not on duty somewhere away from the company area, was already standing a few feet away from the window, waiting and hoping that he would call their name.

Such was the power of a letter, or just the possibility of getting a letter from someone who cared enough to take out a piece of paper and pen and write a few lines.   A letter meant someone was thinking about you and they wanted you know it.  Hell, even a dear john letter was better than no letter at all.

The power of a letter hasn't diminished.  We have.  Think about it.  A New Age definition for a human is energetic being.  Without getting too philosophical, I'll say, if we are energetic beings, it stands to reason that we have available a measurable amount of energy at any one time.  The allocation of our energy supply is in our hands.  In this world of clamoring distractions, it's easy to give up energy with no consideration of the ultimate costs.

If you've ever said, "I don't have time," or "there is no way I'll finish this in time," or more wistfully, "If I just had the time...," then there's a good chance that it's time for you to recall your energy.  When you've brought it home, reevaluate your expenditure of energy.  Consider the investment vs. the return.

Here's a suggestion.  Use some of that energy to send someone a letter.  A real paper, pen, ink, and stamp letter.  If you want to know why, do this - as you pen your letter, bring all of your attention to the point of the pen and hold it there as you write.  When you finish writing, as you are folding the pages and putting them in an envelope, consider the experience and ask yourself if it was worth the energy you invested in it.