I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter

This morning, not wanting to do any of the things I need to do, I decided to clean out a really old cedar chest. I didn’t get too far because I found a pile of old letters and everyone knows if this happens, the rule is you can stop cleaning, plop down on the floor and read them. These were letters that people wrote me in college. Way back in the caveman days, people used to do those things and I wish people still did. Anyways, one seemed to be about the end of some big romance gone wrong thing. I remember reading it and deciding to do nothing, an early form of ghosting, I guess, and I still feel kinda bad about it. And there were a few from some guy who loved me, but I didn’t love him. And there was one from some guy I loved who didn’t love me. Isn’t that the way it always goes? There was one from my Great Uncle, admonishing me for addressing my graduation invitation to him as Mr. Lore, instead of Dr. Lore. I wrote back to him congratulating him on earning his medical degree in 1933 and we embarked on a whole letter writing campaign. I addressed each one to him with the DR. in the hugest letters I could fit on the envelopes. He was witty and sarcastic and I loved those letters more than anything. My other favorite one was from my grandmother which, I imagine, I just skimmed over at the time, took out the money and immediately ordered pizza. So, really, it was like reading it for the first time, which made me happy and a little sad. Grandparents are kinda wasted on the young. My favorite line was, “Your Aunt Lela is mad at me because I didn’t go to the Rhodes reunion, but who cares?!” I love this so much. Just don’t show and if anyone gets mad, who cares? The things that are hereditary continue to amaze me. Do you have any old letters tucked away? Go find them and see if you remember the people, how you felt when you read them the first time, how you feel now. Then, put them back where you found them. They may mean more to you now than they did then. Yep. ……..I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter…and make believe it came from you.