Month: June 2016

Mail is not what it used to be.  Walking to the mailbox is becoming extinct.  The option to go paperless has become quite popular, (when I think of paperless, why do I think of topless)?

Opening the power bill, late fee notices, or my favorite, “air-duct cleaning” coupons, hardly warrant a desire to rush to the mailbox.

Receiving mail in prison is quite different, actually it is highly “eventful”.  The excitement starts when we spot the pick-up truck hauling yellow mail bags. The truck parks in front of each range, and we carefully watch the number of bags being unloaded.  Lot’s of bags, overstuffed bags!  woo-hoo

“Mail is here”, “Did you see all those bags”?,  “The bags were stuffed”. 

Translates to …

Hope is here, lot’s of hope and hope for everyone!

Women would fly off their bunks and fall short of a run, but briskly walk up the halls as fast as possible in order to hear their name called.  Every afternoon, Monday through Friday, we anticipated the arrival of mail.

You won’t see me waiting for the mail carrier  these days, sometimes I don’t check my mail for weeks.  Rarely is there anything in the box which elicits laughter, love or worthy of the walk, actually it’s rather treacherous at times!

One of my most memorable mail experiences came from my friend Linda.  The first time I received her letter, I was surprised the guards gave it to me. The second time I received her letter I was surprised the guards didn’t say anything to me.  The third time I received her letter I was wondering what the guards were thinking.  Then I remembered, they don’t think, much…hmmmm

I knew when Linda’s letters arrived, they were different.

Linda, is a strikingly beautiful woman who is known by her red lips.  I just made that up…actually it could be true… you will rarely see her without lipstick.  Typically bright red or pink works best with her jet black hair.

Linda would paint her lips and kiss the outside of the envelope, and all over her letters inside. It started with one or two kisses and over time, she added more and more kisses.  Her bright red lipped kissed envelope became her signature and her way of letting me I was loved.  Who gets mail like that these days?

At least the IRS could send a kiss every once in a while, at least letting us know we are loved or maybe become a mystery kisser and send someone a letter today, with a few kisses all over it.