All Things Woompty

Yes, you should

I have accomplished the nearly impossible.

I have finished and mailed all 130 of the Christmas cards I sent this year. (And envelope glue still tastes really nasty.)

Among those cards were a few that held the distinction of being Should I cards. You know the ones I'm talking about. They're the ones that you send to people who you haven't talked to in ages, the ones you send to people who you've maybe had an argument with or who have done something that hurt your feelings. You'll be flipping through your address book and you'll see the name of one of those people and you'll wonder "Should I send them a card? Will they read it or just throw it away? Do I want to get back in touch with them or should I just let things be?"

Those Should I cards are a tricky thing. Sometimes it's a family member who's been out of touch, but you feel like you should send one even though you don't particularly like the person because if you don't one of your parents will have something to say about it. Or maybe it's someone who you're not sure you're still friends with, since they haven't been returning your calls and maybe things were a little strained the last time you talked because you don't have as much in common anymore. So you hand pauses over the envelopes you're addressing as you wonder.

"Should I?"

I had a few of those this year. Family members who hurt us with their passive aggressive misbehaviors. A friend who RSVP'd for the wedding but then never showed up, a friend I haven't heard from in any way shape or form since then but who's got a habit of dropping contact when she is embarrassed about her own behavior. Another friend who I had an angry, bitter, hurtful falling out with a few months ago but who still floats through my mind from time to time because there were more good memories than bad before that falling out.

And when I asked myself "Should I?", I answered yes, to all of them. They may be thrown away without being opened, but I feel better for having made the effort. It's a simple thing, the sending of a card during the holidays. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that life is too short. If people matter to you even a little bit, the answer should always be yes, you should. And that's why I hope my Should I cards don't get tossed into the trash with the junkmail.

Who knows, you may start rebuilding a burned bridge for nothing more than the cost of a stamp.

Labels: holidailies, life

posted by Melinda @ 5:40 PM