What happened when we didn't open our mail for 3 months
A few months ago we got very busy - guests, traveling out of the country etc. So we allowed the mail to pile up. Then, one night when we had guests over to dinner and mail was scattered all around, we put it neatly in a small laundry basket that was conveniently at hand. That was the first major mistake. You know what happens when you give something a home - it settles in and starts belonging there. So now it seemed perfectly natural to toss more and more mail into that basket with the sense that the mail was being dealt with.
Then the holiday season was upon us, all kinds of paper work had to be done, classes registered for, cars to be taken to dealers, the skies were cloudy all through January (excuses, excuses!) and before we knew it three months had passed. "Clear mail" got written in my planner successively on several weekends (my modus operandi is putting down every task for a particular date; if it doesn't get done that day, cross it off and move it to another day..usually the earliest day that is not already full of previously postponed tasks).
Finally came the weekend when we had no guests, nowhere we had go to and the sky was not entirely depressing. So I gingerly picked up the first bunch of mail from the aforementioned basket and put it on the dining table to look through. The fliers (grocery, election) are easy - just toss 'em. Then, in the same category, are the "you are approved" credit card applications, appeals to contribute to the Sierra club, Audubon society, public radio, hospitals etc. and reminders from the AARP that you can become the owner of a custom designed lunch container by becoming a member. These have to be opened before being tossed because your name is printed all over the place. (P is deathly afraid of throwing away mail with our name and address on it; in his mind's eye he sees a malign being digging through our recycling and saying "aha" before successfully becoming the owner of a credit card in his or my name. Why anyone would do that these days when they can get far more information about us, with far more ease, online is beyond me. But this is a battle I choose not to fight. I dutifully rip up the pages with our names and addresses on them. [This time I discovered a more efficient way of disposing of this kind of mail. Instead of opening and tearing, I just cut the whole thing into thin strips with a pair of scissors]). Then there are all the statements from banks, T-mobile, Delta dental and so forth. The bills that we need to act on are understandable. But I really dislike the monthly statements that tell us that we have "$6000.00", then "$6000.02", then "$6000.07" and so on month after month. I know they tell us in small print somewhere that we can opt to go paperless. But that's a task for another weekend..it's scheduled in my planner about 4 or 5 weeks out.
Once all of the junk was out of the way, guess what hair-raising discoveries were left that made us vow to never ever let mail pile up again? A letter from our bank sent two months ago telling us that our address had been changed and that we didn't need to do anything if we were okay with it (we hadn't done anything but were NOT okay with it.) A renewal notice for a driving license that had expired weeks ago and we hadn't known and one of us (who will remain unnamed) was driving all over the place with an expired license. This was the scariest but not as scary as the time I missed a mandatory meeting with the social security administration because the meeting notice came in the mail and hadn't been opened (yes, shameful as it is, we had done this before). A packet from our lawyer with important legal documents we were supposed to have reviewed and signed ages ago. A winter tax bill from the city that was due the very next day (okay the last two weren't so bad).
This time my pledge is written in blood. All mail gets the one touch treatment, every single day.
Environmentalists who urge you to reduce, reuse and recycle have a saying that there is no such place as "away" (as in throwing stuff away). Know this to be just as true, dear friend, there is also no such time as "later". Open you mail now!
Then the holiday season was upon us, all kinds of paper work had to be done, classes registered for, cars to be taken to dealers, the skies were cloudy all through January (excuses, excuses!) and before we knew it three months had passed. "Clear mail" got written in my planner successively on several weekends (my modus operandi is putting down every task for a particular date; if it doesn't get done that day, cross it off and move it to another day..usually the earliest day that is not already full of previously postponed tasks).
Finally came the weekend when we had no guests, nowhere we had go to and the sky was not entirely depressing. So I gingerly picked up the first bunch of mail from the aforementioned basket and put it on the dining table to look through. The fliers (grocery, election) are easy - just toss 'em. Then, in the same category, are the "you are approved" credit card applications, appeals to contribute to the Sierra club, Audubon society, public radio, hospitals etc. and reminders from the AARP that you can become the owner of a custom designed lunch container by becoming a member. These have to be opened before being tossed because your name is printed all over the place. (P is deathly afraid of throwing away mail with our name and address on it; in his mind's eye he sees a malign being digging through our recycling and saying "aha" before successfully becoming the owner of a credit card in his or my name. Why anyone would do that these days when they can get far more information about us, with far more ease, online is beyond me. But this is a battle I choose not to fight. I dutifully rip up the pages with our names and addresses on them. [This time I discovered a more efficient way of disposing of this kind of mail. Instead of opening and tearing, I just cut the whole thing into thin strips with a pair of scissors]). Then there are all the statements from banks, T-mobile, Delta dental and so forth. The bills that we need to act on are understandable. But I really dislike the monthly statements that tell us that we have "$6000.00", then "$6000.02", then "$6000.07" and so on month after month. I know they tell us in small print somewhere that we can opt to go paperless. But that's a task for another weekend..it's scheduled in my planner about 4 or 5 weeks out.
Once all of the junk was out of the way, guess what hair-raising discoveries were left that made us vow to never ever let mail pile up again? A letter from our bank sent two months ago telling us that our address had been changed and that we didn't need to do anything if we were okay with it (we hadn't done anything but were NOT okay with it.) A renewal notice for a driving license that had expired weeks ago and we hadn't known and one of us (who will remain unnamed) was driving all over the place with an expired license. This was the scariest but not as scary as the time I missed a mandatory meeting with the social security administration because the meeting notice came in the mail and hadn't been opened (yes, shameful as it is, we had done this before). A packet from our lawyer with important legal documents we were supposed to have reviewed and signed ages ago. A winter tax bill from the city that was due the very next day (okay the last two weren't so bad).
This time my pledge is written in blood. All mail gets the one touch treatment, every single day.
Environmentalists who urge you to reduce, reuse and recycle have a saying that there is no such place as "away" (as in throwing stuff away). Know this to be just as true, dear friend, there is also no such time as "later". Open you mail now!
Comments
Post a Comment