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day eighty-five

i love mailboxes. not necessarily their aesthetics, although i have seen my fair share of assorted individual looks; rather, it's the fact that they hold so much potential. i would go so far as to say their contents can, on occasion at least, actually make or break my day.

up until about five years ago, i always lived in cities. my pre-country mailbox experiences were usually limited to a quick pitstop at the front door of an old apartment building followed by a short walk usually up or down a wide set of well-worn stairs that led to a heavy wooden door of an apartment that held my things. i may have briefly scanned the pile of envelopes in my hands on the way up or down those stairs. i might have checked for familiar handwriting on an envelope or wondered about the sender of an unfamiliar formally typed address. perhaps i didn't even glance at the stack and just left it all as a giant surprise for an entire 30 seconds or so until i'd reached the other side of my apartment door. i may have lamented a complete lack of mail altogether or let out an audible too-loud sigh when all that sat in my fist was a stack of wretched bills.

my country mailbox is perched at the side of the road at the end of a long, old, craggy branch-shaped driveway. it is normally about a four-minute round trip from my front door to this mailbox and back inside. well, it is unless tenzin accompanies me which means these days, it's more in the vicinity of a half-hour leisurely stroll with a jump or ten in every puddle along the way. nevertheless, i still choose at random one of my familiar routines. sometimes it's an instant reward with a smile, other times it's just a fist full of bills, while yet other times it's a grimace and the feeling that no one, not even the competing internet provider or the used-car promoter or the hungry real estate lady cares to flick anything my way.

today was the best kind of mailbox day. it made me smile a full-on grin. today my mailbox contained a hand-addressed envelope (good!) from a familiar person (yay!) containing a very generous cheque (jump up and down!) for my project.

the best kind of mail is the personal unexpected hand-written cards. of course, they don't need to contain money to make me smile, but when it's for an amazing cause from an amazing family,  i can't help but be grateful and happy and anxious to see what amazing things may arrive in my mailbox on some other random unexpected day in the future.

*****

today's look while continuing to be amazed at the generosity of others:

grey silk sweater with metallic paillettes worn over dress: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) for this project - thanks! (free)
jeans: also donated by kimberly for this project - thanks! (free)
socks: claire's (about $4)
black flats: payless, about two years old (about $20)

grand total:
about $24.08

kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352

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