Mail oddities

Recently, I've received three lovely greeting cards that were addressed to someone I don't know at my address. They're all within the last three weeks, one I returned at the post office and the other two I picked up today (jan 15 and jan 19 postmarks). Now, I've received mail at my address last year for a man's name, but never a woman's name. I moved in a year after construction was completed, so I'm only the second tenant in this unit. It's been over a year, so whatever forwarding was submitted has expired as well.

The cards are all addressed to the same woman, and the handwriting is very clear and very clearly states my address and number. It looks like someone is reaching out to this person who likely lived in my place before me. It's possible that the wrong number is being used and the unit up the block from me is the actual owner of this mail. Many things are possible and that's what's got me thinking and rambling tonight as my clothes tumble in the dryer.

The cards, all three of them, are very nice cards (I didn't open them!) from the evidence of the envelopes, which are all decorated and are from Tree Free, which makes lovely cards which are all blank. So someone is writing cards, not just sending a pre-printed sentiment, and whoever they belong to isn't getting them delivered.

Is this a mother reaching out to an estranged daughter that she hasn't spoken to or heard from in over a year? Is it a sister sending thoughts and recipes to her younger sister, far from home? Am I just a bit obsessive about these cards?

See the thing is, I like to get cards. I recently spent some time organizing my cards, and realized I need to catch up my correspondence with several people. The hand written note, the thank you note, even greeting cards seem to get pushed to the side with the advent of the instantaneous communications, namely the telephone (evolving into the cell phone) and email (as well as text messaging). I recently had a conversation with several associates where the fact that one used to spend hours a day corresponding; it was an expected social convention. Whereas now we probably spend hours emailing, and talking on the phone. I didn't even do Holiday cards this year (it took me a way long time to get into the spirit) but I have purchased new cards for next year and put them where I can find them!

I like to look back and see someone's handwriting, to have a tangible record. I like getting real mail in my box, not just bills, and junk, and credit card offers (which are junk, but take my time and thus earn a category as I have to shred them). And I know that I need to send things out myself, that's the only way to get correspondence back. It has to be a two way street or the corresponder could develop feelings of resentment and disenchantment with the correspondee.

Back to the greeting cards, I wonder if there is some way that these cards are getting to their intended receipient, or if they're slowly being returned, unopened and unread, to the writer. And how does that make her feel, out there in the windswept plains? I wonder...