The Kindred Spirit Mailbox - January 14, 2022

It’s been a rough ten days. There’s been news of too many lives cut short –my former mother-in-law, the best friend of my nephew, and the husband of a dear friend. In addition, cancer battles for the son of a friend, and a former college roommate. As much as we try to make sense of these tragedies, we cannot. And yet, the sun continues to rise each day although nothing has happened.

Enter the continuing pandemic. At some point in 2021, we hoped we had passed the worst of it. Just when we thought it was behind us, it snuck back in like a thief in the night. Add this weary isolation to our other losses and life can be downright heavy, like pulling your leg out of quicksand each and every day.

It brings me to the question, what can I do to make life a little sweeter, a little happier, a little more tolerable for someone else? I’m reading a book by Nicolas Sparks that describes a trip he took to a North Carolina beach to find a mailbox called Kindred Spirit. It’s been around since 1983 and “belongs to no one and everyone. Anyone can leave a letter or postcard; any passerby can read whatever has been placed inside. Thousands of people do so every year.”

“It’s become a repository of hopes and dreams…….”

– Nicholas Sparks

Wow. What an awesome idea. You can sit on a wooden bench on a deserted stretch of beach and read the letters, postcards, recipes, and stories that others have left. Sparks calls it “an outpost of reflection.” Some even left photos. I can imagine myself sitting right there, sun on my back, reading and being inspired and encouraged by those who took the time to capture their life moments on paper. Maybe they did it for themselves, but they also did it for the rest of us. To give us a little slice of laughter and magic. Sparks tells of one letter from a young man who hoped to propose to his sweetheart in a hot air balloon. There was another from a man who wanted to be an astronaut. There was a photo of a black Labrador who was recently put to sleep, and an inspiring piece about a woman who met the man of her dreams after a struggle with cancer. There were recipes and postcards and more photos.

Those of us who write, hope that we in some way, give our readers what they need. Maybe when you read a post that really hits home, you think, “Oh good, I’m glad I’m not the only one.” Maybe you just need something to read that’s not bad news. If you’re like me, you read to be taken to another place, outside your everyday activities, just for a bit. To receive a little push to pick yourself up and continue on. I am grateful to every author of each book, blog, poem and story I have read. They have given me a piece of themselves, and my life's become that much richer.

Today, I know I can use all the encouragement I can get. And because of that, I wonder, what can I write that may comfort someone else or give them a smile? Can I write a few lines on a card and send it off? Can I pen a memory of a family member and share it? Can I write a friendship letter to tell someone how much they mean to me? Or where’s that joke I love so much? Can I print it off and pass it along to someone who could use a good laugh? Maybe there’s an old photo I have that someone I love would really treasure. I don’t have a Kindred Spirt Mailbox to put it in, but I do have the United States Post Office – so underused in these days of e-mail and texting and instant messaging.

“Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.” -anonymous

So as 2022 unfolds, let’s rummage through our photo albums, put our pens to paper, and create a little “kindred spirit” magic of our own. Who knows what we may ignite?

P.S. If you need some blank cards to write your stories and messages, you know where to go: Photo Greeting Cards | Beach Chair Photography