Good Things Mail Club
The Unabridged Newsletter
This Month’s Theme: Simple Joys
Notice the Good Around You
“Sometimes the smallest things are the ones that remind us we matter.”
This Is a Bit of an Experiment
I’ve been thinking a lot about how much of what we interact with every day is fast, disposable, and kind of forgettable.
We scroll. We react. We send a message. Then we move on to the next thing.
For a period of my life, some of the only meaningful connection I had on a regular basis with family and friends came through the mail. And strangely enough, some of the pieces of mail that meant the most weren’t long letters.
They were the short ones.
A postcard with only a few sentences. A quick note someone sent because, at that particular moment, they were thinking about me.
There was something powerful about that.
When mail arrived, it challenged the feeling that everyone had simply moved on and forgotten about me. That envelope or postcard was physical proof that somewhere, someone had stopped what they were doing and thought:
I should write to him.
It meant the world to me.
And that experience is a big part of why Good Things Mail Club exists.
I want someone opening their mailbox to experience that same little moment of recognition:
I haven’t been forgotten. Someone cares about me. Someone wanted to connect with me.
That doesn’t require a beautifully written letter. Sometimes it only takes three sentences and a stamp.
Why Good Things Mail Club?
I started thinking about this club while asking myself a pretty big question:
What can I actually do to make the world a little better?
I kept coming back to connection.
We have more ways to communicate than perhaps any generation before us, but I’m not convinced that means we always feel more connected.
Digital communication is incredibly useful. I certainly don’t want to give it up. But sometimes it becomes so focused on transmitting information that we lose sight of the person receiving it.
A handwritten message feels different.
You have to stop.
You have to choose the card.
You have to think about what you want to say.
You write it in your own handwriting—with the crossed-out words, imperfect letters, and all the little things that make it unmistakably yours.
Then you send it into the world.
It feels human.
Good Things Mail Club is my attempt to create a space centered entirely around that kind of communication and connection.
There isn’t a political agenda.
There isn’t a religious agenda.
There aren’t points to earn or awards to win.
The reward is hopefully much simpler: genuine connection with another person.
And maybe, over time, connection with people we would never otherwise have gotten to know.
Simple Joys
Several months ago, I went camping for the first time in more than a decade.
It was May, and I was at Rock Creek Reservoir with my dad and brother. There was still snow on the ground.
One morning I got up early and went fishing.
The sun was coming up and casting this incredible golden light across everything. The air was cold and crisp. Two eagles were circling overhead.
And I actually caught a pretty nice trout—about 18 inches.
For a few minutes, everything else disappeared.
I had forgotten how beautiful the world can be.
There were only a handful of people at the campground that time of year. One morning, a woman who had been staying there for several days was walking her dogs along the dike while I was fishing.
She stopped.
We talked.
There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the conversation. We were just two people who happened to be in the same place on the same morning.
But it felt genuine.
That stuck with me.
There wasn’t an argument to win. There wasn’t a position to defend. Neither of us needed to know everything about the other person before deciding whether it was okay to talk.
We were simply two human beings having a conversation.
And I think those moments are still happening everywhere.
They’re just easy to miss.
The Joys We Almost Overlook
We tend to think happiness comes from big things.
The vacation.
The promotion.
The new house.
The milestone.
And those things can absolutely bring happiness.
But most of our lives don’t happen during milestones.
They happen on Tuesday mornings.
They happen while making breakfast, driving somewhere, taking the dog for a walk, sitting on the porch, or talking to someone for five minutes while waiting in line.
Simple joys are the moments that don’t seem important enough to photograph or post about—but somehow make life feel better.
One of mine happens almost every morning.
My cat comes into bed and wants my attention. For those few minutes, her entire focus seems to be on me. She is incredibly affectionate.
Now, I’m fully aware that there is a very real possibility she is simply running an elaborate scheme to get breakfast.
But I prefer my version.
I like to think it’s her way of bringing a little joy into my life.
And honestly, either way, it works.
Rediscovering Something I Had Lost
Another simple joy I’ve rediscovered is photography.
For more than a decade, I went without really having the opportunity to take photographs.
When I started again, I realized how much I had missed it.
Photography forces me to pay attention.
Where is the light coming from?
What should be in the frame?
What shouldn’t be?
How much of the image should be in focus?
How fast does the shutter need to be?
Is the subject about to move?
You’re constantly making tiny decisions and adjusting as the world changes around you.
When I’m really engaged in it, everything else gets quiet.
I enter what people sometimes call a state of flow. I’m not thinking about yesterday or worrying about tomorrow.
I’m just there.
Watching the light.
Looking at the world.
Being completely present.
And I think that might be one of the greatest things about simple joys: they return us to the moment we are actually living.
Something I’ve Kept for Ten Years
Handwritten words can have a surprisingly long life.
I rarely receive handwritten letters anymore, but there is one card I received during one of the hardest periods of my life about ten years ago.
I still have it.
Part of the message said:
“I know this is hard, and it sucks. But please REMEMBER that you will ALWAYS be a member of our family.”
Ten years later, I remember those words.
Think about that for a moment.
Someone took a few minutes to write a card.
They probably had no idea how long I would keep it.
They probably didn’t know that years later I would still remember exactly how it made me feel.
That is one of the things I hope happens through Good Things Mail Club.
You may write something that feels ordinary to you.
The person receiving it may need those exact words that day.
And you may never know how much they mattered.
Matched Member Postcard Starters: Simple Joys
Not sure what to write? You don’t need a profound story. Start small.
What made you smile this week?
Tell your match about something funny, unexpected, beautiful, or completely ordinary.
What simple activity helps you slow down?
Maybe it’s gardening, reading, taking photographs, cooking, fishing, going for a drive, or sitting outside.
What is one small kindness someone showed you recently?
Why did you notice it?
Describe a peaceful moment you would love to experience again.
Where were you? What could you hear, smell, see, or feel?
What simple joy from childhood do you still love?
A favorite food? Summer evenings? Riding a bike? A family tradition?
What beautiful thing did you almost miss recently?
A sunset. An interesting building. Someone laughing. Flowers growing through a crack in the sidewalk.
What small pleasure would you recommend someone make time for?
A favorite song, book, walk, meal, movie, coffee shop, or place to sit and watch the world.
And remember: you don’t have to answer the question like homework. Use it to start a story and see where it takes you.
Postcard Challenge
Who Could Use a Simple Joy?
Your friend postcard gives you an opportunity to reach beyond the club this month.
Think about someone who has made an ordinary moment in your life better.
Maybe it’s:
- A friend who always makes you laugh.
- Someone you share a favorite memory or tradition with.
- A former teacher, coworker, neighbor, coach, or mentor.
- Someone you haven’t talked to in a long time but still think about.
- Someone going through a difficult or lonely season.
- A person who introduced you to a favorite song, book, hobby, place, or food.
- A family member who somehow makes ordinary gatherings feel special.
- Or simply someone you’d really enjoy sitting down with over a cup of coffee.
Then tell them why you thought of them.
You could begin:
“I was thinking about you today because…”
Or:
“I still smile when I remember…”
Or maybe just:
“I don’t say this enough, but I’m glad you’re in my life.”
You don’t need a special occasion to tell someone they matter.
The Good Things Challenge
Notice One Simple Joy Every Day
For the next month, intentionally notice one simple joy every day.
That’s it.
No elaborate journal required.
Maybe it’s:
A sunset.
Birds outside your window.
Laughing with someone.
Reading a good book.
The smell of rain.
A great cup of coffee.
A quiet drive.
Your pet greeting you.
Finding five minutes when nobody needs anything from you.
Write it down somewhere, take a picture, or simply pause long enough to acknowledge it.
Some days your simple joy may feel profound.
Other days it might be discovering there’s one cookie left.
Both count.
At the end of the month, ask yourself:
Which simple joy stayed with me the longest?
You may be surprised by the answer.
Behind the Mail
Because this is the very first Good Things Mail Club mailing, I thought you might enjoy knowing a little about how it came together.
Even the postcard has a story.
The photograph on the first postcard is one I took of a mallard duck while camping at Timothy Lake over Father’s Day weekend.
I was there with family, so choosing that photograph felt fitting. It came from another moment centered around being together.
The people receiving this first mailing were chosen intentionally, too.
Many of you are people who have helped me at different points in my life and have been part of my journey.
You also come from different backgrounds, political beliefs, religious traditions, and life experiences.
That diversity is important to me.
Because one of the ideas behind Good Things Mail Club is that connection doesn’t require sameness.
We can disagree.
We can have completely different experiences.
And we can still be curious about one another.
We can still be kind.
We can still find something in common.
You’re Helping Build This
This first group isn’t receiving a finished product.
You’re helping me figure out what Good Things Mail Club can become.
Honestly, I don’t even know yet whether this idea has legs.
That’s part of the experiment.
I want your honest feedback about the postcards, pairings, newsletter, materials, prompts, and overall experience.
Tell me what works.
Tell me what doesn’t.
Tell me what feels awkward.
And tell me what would make you excited to receive the next envelope.
I’m completely new to building something like this, and I would much rather learn from the people participating than assume I already know what everyone wants.
My goal is to create the best experience I can around a very simple vision:
Help people feel more connected.
Where Could This Go?
One thing I’m already thinking about is how the club might eventually create opportunities for people to meet beyond the mailbox.
Maybe small coffee-shop gatherings where members can simply come hang out.
Maybe occasional online gatherings for members who live farther apart.
Maybe discussions, activities, or events based around the same themes we explore in these newsletters.
I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet.
And that’s okay.
I’d rather allow the community to help shape what comes next.
Meet a Mail Club Member
In future newsletters, I’d love to introduce members to one another through a recurring Member Spotlight.
Nothing too serious.
Things like:
What’s one simple thing that always makes you happy?
What’s somewhere you think everyone should visit once?
What’s something you could talk about for hours?
What’s a hobby or interest people might not expect?
What’s one good thing happening in your life right now?
Participation would always be optional, and nothing would be shared without permission.
My hope is that these little introductions make the names on our postcards feel a little more human.
Share Something Good
Have a story, photograph, piece of artwork, poem, recipe, recommendation, good-news story, postcard experience, interesting place you’ve visited, or simply an idea you’d like considered for a future newsletter?
I’d love to see it.
Email it to support@goodthingsmail.com.
Submissions may be lightly edited for length and clarity and will never be published without your permission.
Over time, I’d love for this newsletter to contain less of just what I have to say and more of what we have to share.
What Success Looks Like to Me
A year from now, I don’t think I’ll measure the success of Good Things Mail Club primarily by how many envelopes we’ve mailed.
I’ll measure it by the connections that came from them.
Did two people who probably never would have met become friends?
Did someone going through a lonely time open their mailbox and realize they hadn’t been forgotten?
Did someone finally reconnect with an old friend after months—or years—of thinking, I really should reach out sometime?
Did two people with opposing political, religious, or personal beliefs exchange enough stories to realize that neither could be reduced to a label?
That’s what I hope happens.
Because we are incredibly good at putting one another into boxes.
Political.
Religious.
Conservative.
Liberal.
Urban.
Rural.
Young.
Old.
And once we’ve decided which box someone belongs in, it becomes very easy to decide who that person must be.
But behind all of those labels is a human being.
Someone has a favorite song.
Someone worries about their family.
Someone misses people.
Someone laughs at stupid jokes.
Someone has had their heart broken.
Someone wants to feel valued.
Someone wants to know that they matter.
I don’t expect postcards to solve all of our differences.
That’s not the point.
I’d just like to create more opportunities for us to see the person before we see the label.
Because we’re all fighting our own hard battles.
We could probably stand to love each other a little more.
My Hope for Good Things Mail Club
I hope Good Things Mail Club becomes a place where people experience genuine connection, know that they are thought about and loved, and are reminded that they have value and worth.
That’s a pretty big hope for something built around small pieces of paper.
But I’ve experienced firsthand how much a few handwritten words can matter.
So maybe it isn’t such a crazy idea after all.
Thanks for being part of the experiment.
Thanks for helping shape what this becomes.
And most importantly, thanks for taking a few minutes this month to slow down, notice something good, and share it with somebody else.