SOL March 12: Mail

The U.S. Postal Service is suffering because people send e-mail and e-cards now rather than postal mail, bt I still get tons of mail. If I don’t open it every day, it piles up alarmingly. I’m also having time management issues, and today I had four days of mail to tackle. Here’s what came into my mailbox.

1. A packet of new checks. Yes, I still write checks rather than have money automatically taken out of my checking account. I feel more in control and using my brain; too much convenience leads to loss of brain power.

2. Reminder from the Museum of Modern Art that it’s time to renew my membership. I will do that.

3. My bank statement. I always balance my checkbook. My husband never did, said the numbers were all in his head. We kept our money separate — but that’s another story, for another slice.

4. Visa bill. I’ll go through that statement, too, writing down what everything is for in case there’s taxable stuff in there.

5. Statement from one of my TIAA retirement accounts, and separately a prospectus. Maybe I shouldn’t get those on paper anymore. (Take one away from the Post Office.)

6. Postcards from two of my retirement accounts that the shareholder’s reports are online and including links. (Take two away from the Post Office.)

7. A letter from the editorial department of the Marquis Who’s Who. This deserves its own story, perhaps tomorrow’s slice.

 

That takes care of the personal mail, the mail I need to open and attend to. But it’s a tiny percentage of what else I received in the past four days.

Magazines and catalogues

The New Yorker, Mar. 15 issue

Eating Well, April issue

Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue

Catalyst (publication of the Union of Concerned Scientists)

The Vermont Country Store (I did recently order from them)

Garnet Hill (never ordered from them)

Parachute (never heard of this company)

Whatever Works (or this one)

Marketplace (a nonprofit selling clothing from India; I’ll look through this one)

 

And finally, the solicitations for money, first, the political

Democratic National Committee (2)

Senate Majority PAC (identical appeal to different versions of my name)

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Democratic Governors Association

4 individual Democratic senators and congressmen

 

Some of these nonprofits I’ve donated to, others not, but the appeals keep coming

American Heart Association

Amerian Jewish  World Service

American Prairie Reserve

Americares

ASPCA

Cohen Children’s Medical Center

Feeding America

Fresh Air Fund

Inner-City Scholarship Fund

Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (this organization helps gentiles in Nazi-occupied Europe who helped Jews; many are now quite elderly and poor)

MAP International (medical services)

National Wildlife Federation

New York Public Radio

New York Restoration Project (supporting parks and open space in the city)

Oglala Lakota College

Planned Parenthood

Polaris (fights sex and labor trafficking; first I’ve heard of it)

International Rescue Committee (with beautiful note cards)

Rosenberg Fund for Children (founded by a son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the organization helps children of progressive activists)

Simon Wiesenthal Center

Wounded Warrior Project

United Farm Workers

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I’m participating in the 14th annual Slice of Life Challenge over at Two Writing Teachers. This is day 12 of the 31-day challenge.  It’s not too late to make space for daily writing in a community that is encouraging, enthusiastic, and eager to read what you have to slice about.  Join in!