Happiness and the Connectivity Factor

 

How do you stay in touch with people you care about?  I enjoy the immediacy of social networking...  checking online for updates from my contacts. A friend once described Facebook "...like having my friends and family in my back pocket." That said, it's a lot easier to check in than check out.   Googling ensues...hours elapse. 

Then there's the telephone. Do people talk on the phone anymore?  Is it just me or have calls gone the way of the U.S. mail....mostly junk with only an occasional personal greeting?  I receive more texts than calls, lately.  Texting is fine for quick updates like "running 5 min late" or "I won the lottery" but a happy birthday text generates a low level of happiness. 

So, what's left?  Words written on paper, that's what.  Nothing satisfies like a piece of personal mail. When Scout and I take the daily hike to the mailbox, I quietly hope for something handwritten.  The infrequent letter or card generates a big smile and an extra perky hop up the front steps.

Want to make someone happy today? Want to help revive a diminishing social grace? Write a few lines on a postcard and mail it to a friend. Better yet, write a few lines on five postcards and drop them in the mail. Multiply the happiness factor times five!