JUNE 21, 2011 - Today is the first day of spring. Like every year my wife, Mary, and I make plans to clean out our Master Bedroom closet.
JUNE 22, 2011 - Today is the second day of spring. Like every year, we decide our resolution from the day before was a stupid idea.
It's not that he closet couldn't use some pruning. It is completely full now. But I don't care because I don't need much space. I only have three pairs of pants and eight shirts (one for each day of the week and one "wild card" shirt). Mary will soon have to do something though. I suggested that she get rid of two items of clothing for each new one she buys but that hasn't happened yet.
JULY 6, 2011 - I wear my wild card shirt instead of my Wednesday shirt. I was becoming too predictable.
JULY 12, 2011 - I decided to look in the closet again and noticed Mary has a huge section devoted to purses. I counted them. There were 47. I don't understand her reluctance to throw away old purses. She never uses anything except the newest ones. In most cases she rationalized buying the new one because the old one didn't work for some reason (the zipper is broken, it doesn't have enough inside pockets, it has too many inside pockets, it is too big, it is too small, etc.). There is zero chance she will use the old purses. Maybe she is planning to donate them to a museum some day.
In fairness to women, it is much easier for men to carry a wallet than it is to carry a purse. All our wallet has to accommodate is a driver's license, a few credit cards and a $20 bill. Wallets never wear out. I don't know exactly when I bought mine, but I cleaned it out recently and it still had a 1977 Dodger schedule in it. Women's purses have to carry everything a wallet has plus keys, makeup, a hair brush, extra glasses, pictures of the kids, a wash cloth, gift cards, a $2 off coupon for Cheerios, receipts for the stuff she needs to return, letters to mail, and a book in case she has to wait somewhere. As all of you know, this only scratches the surface (in fact, women have to carry something to scratch surfaces with too).
Purses also have to carry the things that probably should go in men's wallets but we don't want to be bothered with. For example, I hate loose change. I would rather throw coins in the trash than to put them in my pocket or wallet. Mary is too frugal so she keeps all of our change in her purse.
July 23, 2011 - We went out to eat tonight. We ordered one of those flaming desserts and the tablecloth caught on fire. Mary calmly pulled a fire extinguisher out of her purse and put out the fire. I was really impressed with her preparedness until I noticed that three women at tables near us also had pulled fire extinguishers from their purses. The meal cost about $50, which Mary paid for with quarters from her purse.
AUGUST 5, 2011 - Some experts suggest putting clothes in the closet with the hangar facing the wrong way. Then if you haven't worn something in two years you should get rid of it. I think that two years is too short a time period. I read somewhere that fashion repeats itself on average every 40 years. So if an item of clothing hasn't gotten back in style in 40 years, it is safe to get rid of it. We celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary next month so now is a perfect time to see if Mary still has anything from when we were first married. I found a white sweater on a shelf which I recognized right away. She wore it on our first date (to see "Love Story"), so it would be a shame to throw it away. In the back of the closet was an old robe. She wore it a lot that first year lounging around our apartment while we watched reruns of Perry Mason on our black and white television. Have to keep that. I also found the swimsuit and cover-up she wore on our honeymoon. There is no way I could throw them away either. We didn't go anywhere glamorous - we stayed in San Clemente, a beach town half way between Los Angeles and San Diego. It was a great way to start our marriage. We each had a lot to learn. In the first month I learned to wring out the wash cloth after a shower; she learned to love Vin Sculley (the Dodger's announcer). I made a note to remind me to look again at these clothes when we will have been married 80 years. I put the note in my wallet, since I probably will still be using it 40 years from now.
SEPTEMBER 3, 2011 - Today is a great day. We are celebrating 40 years of marriage. Has every day been great? Of course not. Has every year been wonderful? Absolutely!
David and Mary LeSueur live in Littleton, CO.
Monday, August 08, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
A POLITICAL PARABLE
Son: Dad, I need to talk to you about my allowance. It's just not enough.
Dad: I give you $100 per year. How much are you spending?
Son: I spend about $150 per year.
Dad: $150! Where do you get the extra $50?
Son: I borrow it from some kids at school. They know you'll pay for it if I can't and I pay them some interest every month.
Dad: I'm glad to see you are such a good businessman. How much do you owe these kids and how much interest do you pay each year?
Son: I owe $500 now. I pay interest of about $11 per year.
Dad: So only $11 out of your $100 allowance is going to interest? That's not bad!
Son: Yes, it is no big deal. But I would like to reduce my debt and I believe it should be a shared sacrifice on both our parts. Here's what i propose. I'm willing to cut my spending if you'll increase my allowance by the same amount. Over the next 10 years i promise to reduce my spending by a total of $100. Then you can increase my allowance by $100 - a mere $10 per year.
Dad: Sounds reasonable. I will give you $110 next year, and you will reduce your spending to what?
Son: $160.
Dad: Wait, that's more than you spent this year. I thought you were going to reduce your spending.
Son: I am. You see, without our agreement I was going to spend $165 next year. It has to be more than this year because of inflation and I want to get some new tires for my bike. But because of our agreement I am willing to only spend $160 for a savings of $5. I know this is confusing so here's a schedule of my spending reductions by year. You'll see the total savings is $100.
Dad: I think I get it now. I notice from your schedule that most of your savings are in years 9 and 10. Is that right?
Son: Yes, that's right. I figure that gives me enough time to adjust my spending habits.
Dad: And at the end of 10 years your debt increases from $500 to $800.
Son: Yes, but without our agreement it would have been $1,000!
Dad: Brilliant!
(Mom enters the room.)
Mom: Honey I am going to the mall to buy a dress. It is on sale for 50% off.
Dad: You know we don't have any money right now, don't you?
Mom: Of course I know that. But this actually saves us money.
Dad: Brilliant!
Son: Dad, our neighbor Mr. Jones is at the door and wants to talk to you.
Mr. Jones: I would like to retire next year and would like to propose a deal. If you will pay for my retirement, then my children will pay retirement for both you and your wife.
Dad: But you only have one son - and he doesn't even have a job!
Mr. Jones: That's not a problem because we have arranged with some of his friends to help.
Dad: Brilliant!
(A perfect stranger walks to the front door.)
Perfect Stranger: Hey, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I have some land in Florida you might be interested in . . .
David LeSueur lives in Littleton, CO with his wife Mary. He is currently heading up a petition drive to raise taxes on everyone whose last name begins with the letter "T".
Dad: I give you $100 per year. How much are you spending?
Son: I spend about $150 per year.
Dad: $150! Where do you get the extra $50?
Son: I borrow it from some kids at school. They know you'll pay for it if I can't and I pay them some interest every month.
Dad: I'm glad to see you are such a good businessman. How much do you owe these kids and how much interest do you pay each year?
Son: I owe $500 now. I pay interest of about $11 per year.
Dad: So only $11 out of your $100 allowance is going to interest? That's not bad!
Son: Yes, it is no big deal. But I would like to reduce my debt and I believe it should be a shared sacrifice on both our parts. Here's what i propose. I'm willing to cut my spending if you'll increase my allowance by the same amount. Over the next 10 years i promise to reduce my spending by a total of $100. Then you can increase my allowance by $100 - a mere $10 per year.
Dad: Sounds reasonable. I will give you $110 next year, and you will reduce your spending to what?
Son: $160.
Dad: Wait, that's more than you spent this year. I thought you were going to reduce your spending.
Son: I am. You see, without our agreement I was going to spend $165 next year. It has to be more than this year because of inflation and I want to get some new tires for my bike. But because of our agreement I am willing to only spend $160 for a savings of $5. I know this is confusing so here's a schedule of my spending reductions by year. You'll see the total savings is $100.
Dad: I think I get it now. I notice from your schedule that most of your savings are in years 9 and 10. Is that right?
Son: Yes, that's right. I figure that gives me enough time to adjust my spending habits.
Dad: And at the end of 10 years your debt increases from $500 to $800.
Son: Yes, but without our agreement it would have been $1,000!
Dad: Brilliant!
(Mom enters the room.)
Mom: Honey I am going to the mall to buy a dress. It is on sale for 50% off.
Dad: You know we don't have any money right now, don't you?
Mom: Of course I know that. But this actually saves us money.
Dad: Brilliant!
Son: Dad, our neighbor Mr. Jones is at the door and wants to talk to you.
Mr. Jones: I would like to retire next year and would like to propose a deal. If you will pay for my retirement, then my children will pay retirement for both you and your wife.
Dad: But you only have one son - and he doesn't even have a job!
Mr. Jones: That's not a problem because we have arranged with some of his friends to help.
Dad: Brilliant!
(A perfect stranger walks to the front door.)
Perfect Stranger: Hey, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I have some land in Florida you might be interested in . . .
David LeSueur lives in Littleton, CO with his wife Mary. He is currently heading up a petition drive to raise taxes on everyone whose last name begins with the letter "T".
Monday, May 16, 2011
Having Fun with a Mental Cognition Test
Men and MS Spring 2011
By David LeSueur
One of the potential problems caused by MS is impaired thinking; however, how do you know whether any diminished capacity is caused by MS rather than natural aging? When I was growing up, an uncle told me that when men got old, brain cells (which look like hair) start growing out of their ears!
I was always skeptical, but now I think he might have been right. I figure I have trimmed over a foot of brain cells from my ears during the past decade. That would explain a lot.
So when my neurologist offered to send a nurse to my house to give me a "Mental Cognition Test," I readily agreed. I was anxious to see what she thought. The nurse came by the next week. We talked about the weather, and then she got out her notebook and started the test.
"Let's start with an easy question." she said. "What day of the week is it today?"
That isn't such an easy question. I don't work anymore, so every day seems the same. I can't even rely on what television show I watched last night to tell me what day of the week it is because we record everything we want to watch on our DVR and watch it on a different day. But on that day, I did remember watching the Broncos play the day before, which means the day before must have been Sunday, so I answered confidently, "Today is Monday!"
The nurse looked at me and laughed. "It is Tuesday, not Monday!" she said.
"That's right," I replied. "The Broncos played yesterday, but it was on Monday Night Football." I was not off to a good start.
"Let's try another question. I am going to read you three unrelated words and have you repeat them back to me. That should be easy. But remember them, because I will ask you to name them again in a few minutes. Okay, here are the words: tree, ballpoint pen, bank. . . Now what are the three words?"
It will be easy to say them back now, I thought to myself, but remembering them later could be tricky. Fortunately, I have a book called "How You Too Can Develop a Razor-Sharp Mind and a Steel-Trap Memory." It says that to remember unrelated items you need to form a relationship in your mind between the items. The wackier the relationship is, the easier it is to remember the items. There is more to it – but I can't remember where I put the book to check on it.
What trick will I use to remember these words? First I will imagine looking out my window and seeing a grove of trees. Growing on the trees will be a bunch of ballpoint pens. Finally I'll remember that we are growing the pens to replace the ones in the bank that no longer work.
"Tree, ballpoint pen, bank." I said.
"That's right!" she replied. "Now for the next exercise, you will have 60 seconds to name all the animals you can think of. Are you ready? Go!"
She said "Go!" before I could think about my strategy for thinking of animals. I decided to pretend I was at the zoo. "Penguins, elephants, giraffes," I said to begin. "Can I just say ‘deer’ or do I have to be more specific about what kind of deer it is?"
"Deer is fine. Keep going!"
She was writing something down in her book. "Then deer," I said, continuing, "and lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh my!" I looked at her but she wasn't laughing. I wonder if I get extra credit for having a sense of humor. Or maybe I get points taken off for telling stupid jokes. I'd better watch myself.
"30 seconds!" she announced.
All of a sudden I couldn't think of any more animals at the zoo, so I shifted to my backyard. "Squirrels, dogs, cats, birds, coyotes, deer - oops, I think I already said ‘deer.’ Does it still count?"
"Yes, I don't keep track of what you have already said."
"You don't keep track?" I answered. "Then deer, deer, deer, deer…." I looked at her. She wasn't laughing.
"Actually, repeating yourself is a sign of senility." She looked at me, and now it was my turn to not laugh.
"Do insects count as animals?" I asked.
"It doesn't really matter. Don't over-analyze this. Ten seconds."
I just gave up at this point. "Time! Now, what are the three words I read to you earlier?"
“Tree, deer, ballpoint pen, deer, bank, deer.”
The nurse wouldn't tell me how I did on the test, but she didn't send me to a retirement home either, so that is good I guess.
David LeSueur lives in Littleton, Colo., a city with many banks, lots of deer and thousands of trees (none of which is growing ballpoint pens). You can read more of David's writing at http://lesueur926.blogspot.com/
By David LeSueur
One of the potential problems caused by MS is impaired thinking; however, how do you know whether any diminished capacity is caused by MS rather than natural aging? When I was growing up, an uncle told me that when men got old, brain cells (which look like hair) start growing out of their ears!
I was always skeptical, but now I think he might have been right. I figure I have trimmed over a foot of brain cells from my ears during the past decade. That would explain a lot.
So when my neurologist offered to send a nurse to my house to give me a "Mental Cognition Test," I readily agreed. I was anxious to see what she thought. The nurse came by the next week. We talked about the weather, and then she got out her notebook and started the test.
"Let's start with an easy question." she said. "What day of the week is it today?"
That isn't such an easy question. I don't work anymore, so every day seems the same. I can't even rely on what television show I watched last night to tell me what day of the week it is because we record everything we want to watch on our DVR and watch it on a different day. But on that day, I did remember watching the Broncos play the day before, which means the day before must have been Sunday, so I answered confidently, "Today is Monday!"
The nurse looked at me and laughed. "It is Tuesday, not Monday!" she said.
"That's right," I replied. "The Broncos played yesterday, but it was on Monday Night Football." I was not off to a good start.
"Let's try another question. I am going to read you three unrelated words and have you repeat them back to me. That should be easy. But remember them, because I will ask you to name them again in a few minutes. Okay, here are the words: tree, ballpoint pen, bank. . . Now what are the three words?"
It will be easy to say them back now, I thought to myself, but remembering them later could be tricky. Fortunately, I have a book called "How You Too Can Develop a Razor-Sharp Mind and a Steel-Trap Memory." It says that to remember unrelated items you need to form a relationship in your mind between the items. The wackier the relationship is, the easier it is to remember the items. There is more to it – but I can't remember where I put the book to check on it.
What trick will I use to remember these words? First I will imagine looking out my window and seeing a grove of trees. Growing on the trees will be a bunch of ballpoint pens. Finally I'll remember that we are growing the pens to replace the ones in the bank that no longer work.
"Tree, ballpoint pen, bank." I said.
"That's right!" she replied. "Now for the next exercise, you will have 60 seconds to name all the animals you can think of. Are you ready? Go!"
She said "Go!" before I could think about my strategy for thinking of animals. I decided to pretend I was at the zoo. "Penguins, elephants, giraffes," I said to begin. "Can I just say ‘deer’ or do I have to be more specific about what kind of deer it is?"
"Deer is fine. Keep going!"
She was writing something down in her book. "Then deer," I said, continuing, "and lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh my!" I looked at her but she wasn't laughing. I wonder if I get extra credit for having a sense of humor. Or maybe I get points taken off for telling stupid jokes. I'd better watch myself.
"30 seconds!" she announced.
All of a sudden I couldn't think of any more animals at the zoo, so I shifted to my backyard. "Squirrels, dogs, cats, birds, coyotes, deer - oops, I think I already said ‘deer.’ Does it still count?"
"Yes, I don't keep track of what you have already said."
"You don't keep track?" I answered. "Then deer, deer, deer, deer…." I looked at her. She wasn't laughing.
"Actually, repeating yourself is a sign of senility." She looked at me, and now it was my turn to not laugh.
"Do insects count as animals?" I asked.
"It doesn't really matter. Don't over-analyze this. Ten seconds."
I just gave up at this point. "Time! Now, what are the three words I read to you earlier?"
“Tree, deer, ballpoint pen, deer, bank, deer.”
The nurse wouldn't tell me how I did on the test, but she didn't send me to a retirement home either, so that is good I guess.
David LeSueur lives in Littleton, Colo., a city with many banks, lots of deer and thousands of trees (none of which is growing ballpoint pens). You can read more of David's writing at http://lesueur926.blogspot.com/
Saturday, December 18, 2010
ADVICE FOR CONGRESS - CALL MY MOM
Our economy is hurting so we are going to borrow almost a trillion dollars to “stimulate” it. I suppose that might make sense on a macroeconomic level, but it flies in the face of two economic principles my parents taught me: don’t spend money if you don’t have it, and don’t buy something if you don’t need it.
Congress could learn from the example of our family freezer. In 1964 I was 14, my 2 brothers were 12 and 4 and my sister was 9. My parents had planned a six week vacation (my father was a high school history teacher) for us to drive from Burbank, California across the country to see the New York World’s Fair. But my mom also wanted to buy a freezer so Dad told her that if she could spend less than what they had budgeted for the vacation, she could use the savings to buy a freezer.
To save money on lodging we stayed as much as possible with friends and family. When necessary, we rented a room at Motel 6. In those days the “6” was in the name because rooms were $6 per night. The “6” also signified how many people we put in a room. Unfortunately the “6” did not stand for how many of us slept in a bed. Since there were only two double beds my youngest brother always slept on the floor and the other three kids rotated sleeping on the floor with him.
Mom saved money on food by fixing us cold cereal in the morning and making us sandwiches for lunch. Occasionally Mom and Dad would splurge by eating out for breakfast. The kids still ate cold cereal in the car but Dad bought us donuts on those days to make us feel special too.
It was a great trip and we stayed under budget so Mom bought a freezer for $100. They still had it in 1974 and in 1984 and in 1994 and in 2004. Mom didn’t replace it because it still worked - except that the interior light no longer came on when you opened the door. That freezer lasted longer than most marriages, but it had two significant problems. First, it had to be defrosted, which was an all day chore. I remember some months when the freezer had more frost than food in it. And even worse, it used a lot of electricity.
You may have heard of CERN, an international physics laboratory in Sweden. It contains an enormously powerful particle accelerator capable of smashing subatomic particles together, reproducing the energies that existed a fraction of a second after the big bang. The experiment was scheduled for last Fall but was postponed for undisclosed reasons. Well , I can now tell you the real reason was Mom’s freezer. It was so inefficient that there was a huge electromagnetic field above my parent’s house. Scientists were afraid that the particles colliding would create a black hole above the freezer that might swallow up their house and the entire city of San Clemente.
Last Christmas, Mom bought herself a new freezer after 44 years. She only started thinking about it because the power company offered her a $35 rebate if she would buy a more energy efficient model. She had decided against buying a new one (“The old one still works!” she said) until Dad pointed out that $35 was enough to buy them each six meals at Taco Bell. Keeping a freezer that long is very unusual in our culture of instant gratification and “I want it all and I want it right now.”
If your kids are complaining about having to wait until their birthdays to get a new cell phone, or if you are considering borrowing money on your 5th credit card, I suggest you visit my mom to gain a little perspective. She will be excited to show you her new freezer that she waited 44 years to buy. And if you are really nice, she will show you how the light comes on when you open the door.
David LeSueur lives in Littleton with his wife Mary. He can’t think of anything he has owned for 44 years.
Congress could learn from the example of our family freezer. In 1964 I was 14, my 2 brothers were 12 and 4 and my sister was 9. My parents had planned a six week vacation (my father was a high school history teacher) for us to drive from Burbank, California across the country to see the New York World’s Fair. But my mom also wanted to buy a freezer so Dad told her that if she could spend less than what they had budgeted for the vacation, she could use the savings to buy a freezer.
To save money on lodging we stayed as much as possible with friends and family. When necessary, we rented a room at Motel 6. In those days the “6” was in the name because rooms were $6 per night. The “6” also signified how many people we put in a room. Unfortunately the “6” did not stand for how many of us slept in a bed. Since there were only two double beds my youngest brother always slept on the floor and the other three kids rotated sleeping on the floor with him.
Mom saved money on food by fixing us cold cereal in the morning and making us sandwiches for lunch. Occasionally Mom and Dad would splurge by eating out for breakfast. The kids still ate cold cereal in the car but Dad bought us donuts on those days to make us feel special too.
It was a great trip and we stayed under budget so Mom bought a freezer for $100. They still had it in 1974 and in 1984 and in 1994 and in 2004. Mom didn’t replace it because it still worked - except that the interior light no longer came on when you opened the door. That freezer lasted longer than most marriages, but it had two significant problems. First, it had to be defrosted, which was an all day chore. I remember some months when the freezer had more frost than food in it. And even worse, it used a lot of electricity.
You may have heard of CERN, an international physics laboratory in Sweden. It contains an enormously powerful particle accelerator capable of smashing subatomic particles together, reproducing the energies that existed a fraction of a second after the big bang. The experiment was scheduled for last Fall but was postponed for undisclosed reasons. Well , I can now tell you the real reason was Mom’s freezer. It was so inefficient that there was a huge electromagnetic field above my parent’s house. Scientists were afraid that the particles colliding would create a black hole above the freezer that might swallow up their house and the entire city of San Clemente.
Last Christmas, Mom bought herself a new freezer after 44 years. She only started thinking about it because the power company offered her a $35 rebate if she would buy a more energy efficient model. She had decided against buying a new one (“The old one still works!” she said) until Dad pointed out that $35 was enough to buy them each six meals at Taco Bell. Keeping a freezer that long is very unusual in our culture of instant gratification and “I want it all and I want it right now.”
If your kids are complaining about having to wait until their birthdays to get a new cell phone, or if you are considering borrowing money on your 5th credit card, I suggest you visit my mom to gain a little perspective. She will be excited to show you her new freezer that she waited 44 years to buy. And if you are really nice, she will show you how the light comes on when you open the door.
David LeSueur lives in Littleton with his wife Mary. He can’t think of anything he has owned for 44 years.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
We received our first Christmas card of the season on December 3. It was from Robert and Barbara Elton of Colorado Springs. The handwritten address on the outside of the envelope said "The LeSueur's."
Like most Christmas cards we receive, there was a form Christmas letter inside describing what the family members were all doing and included a fuzzy photo so you could kind of see what everyone looked like now.
It is easy to make fun of these Christmas letters, but I like them. Done correctly, they give me an idea of what my friends are doing, without requiring them to send fifty or more handwritten letters that say essentially the same thing. A good Christmas letter is brief and informative, describing the activities and accomplishments of the family members without bragging.
We learned that Barbara keeps busy volunteering at Church, Robert was contemplating retirement and their son Nathan just moved to Fort Collins. The actual card had a handwritten note on it saying "Let's get together this year. We come to Denver fairly often." The personal note let me know that even though the Christmas letter was impersonal, they were thinking of me. Everything about the Christmas card and letter was perfect. There was only one problem.
We have no idea who Robert and Barbara Elton of Colorado Springs are.
They have sent us a card 3 years in a row now. We thought we must know them because they spelled our name right and had our address. It's not like our last name is Smith or Johnson or something. We tried to think of all of the people we had met in the prior year who might be sending us a card. Did they sell us something during the year? Were their children friends with our children? We looked at the family photo and no one looked familiar. How did they get our name and address? Do they know another LeSueur family and picked the wrong address out of the phone book?
It's too bad I don't know them because I wanted to compliment them on their Christmas card. Letter-writing is a lost art and we should encourage people who are good at it. I understand why no one writes letters anymore. Talking on the phone is easier and more rewarding. You get immediate answers to your questions. People do write e-mails, but most e-mails are just shorthand versions of conversations. Real letters require us to think about what we are saying and how we say it.
When I left home to go to college 40 years ago, phone calls were a luxury. My parents called me once a week every Sunday evening when I was away. My dad was worried about the cost, so as soon as there was a break in the conversation that lasted more than three seconds, he would say, "Well, it was nice talking to you." I learned to talk fast to make the phone call last longer.
In college I loved checking the mail. During the week, my mother wrote me a letter which would arrive on Wednesday or Thursday. My dad always gave me a subscription to The Sporting News for Christmas and it came on Fridays.
My wife keeps in touch with a high school group through a "round robin letter" which has been going for 30 years. About once a year we receive an envelope with a letter from each of the people in the group. We remove the letter we wrote last time and replace it with a new one. Then we send the packet of letters to the next person on the list and wait for a year to receive the package again. It is a throwback to an earlier time.
So I want to encourage the Eltons from Colorado Springs. I am afraid to call them because either they will be embarrassed for sending a Christmas card to total strangers, or we will be embarrassed because we actually do know them. I guess I will send them a Christmas card so they don't take us off their list.
David LeSueur lives in Littleton, 50 miles north of the Eltons.
Like most Christmas cards we receive, there was a form Christmas letter inside describing what the family members were all doing and included a fuzzy photo so you could kind of see what everyone looked like now.
It is easy to make fun of these Christmas letters, but I like them. Done correctly, they give me an idea of what my friends are doing, without requiring them to send fifty or more handwritten letters that say essentially the same thing. A good Christmas letter is brief and informative, describing the activities and accomplishments of the family members without bragging.
We learned that Barbara keeps busy volunteering at Church, Robert was contemplating retirement and their son Nathan just moved to Fort Collins. The actual card had a handwritten note on it saying "Let's get together this year. We come to Denver fairly often." The personal note let me know that even though the Christmas letter was impersonal, they were thinking of me. Everything about the Christmas card and letter was perfect. There was only one problem.
We have no idea who Robert and Barbara Elton of Colorado Springs are.
They have sent us a card 3 years in a row now. We thought we must know them because they spelled our name right and had our address. It's not like our last name is Smith or Johnson or something. We tried to think of all of the people we had met in the prior year who might be sending us a card. Did they sell us something during the year? Were their children friends with our children? We looked at the family photo and no one looked familiar. How did they get our name and address? Do they know another LeSueur family and picked the wrong address out of the phone book?
It's too bad I don't know them because I wanted to compliment them on their Christmas card. Letter-writing is a lost art and we should encourage people who are good at it. I understand why no one writes letters anymore. Talking on the phone is easier and more rewarding. You get immediate answers to your questions. People do write e-mails, but most e-mails are just shorthand versions of conversations. Real letters require us to think about what we are saying and how we say it.
When I left home to go to college 40 years ago, phone calls were a luxury. My parents called me once a week every Sunday evening when I was away. My dad was worried about the cost, so as soon as there was a break in the conversation that lasted more than three seconds, he would say, "Well, it was nice talking to you." I learned to talk fast to make the phone call last longer.
In college I loved checking the mail. During the week, my mother wrote me a letter which would arrive on Wednesday or Thursday. My dad always gave me a subscription to The Sporting News for Christmas and it came on Fridays.
My wife keeps in touch with a high school group through a "round robin letter" which has been going for 30 years. About once a year we receive an envelope with a letter from each of the people in the group. We remove the letter we wrote last time and replace it with a new one. Then we send the packet of letters to the next person on the list and wait for a year to receive the package again. It is a throwback to an earlier time.
So I want to encourage the Eltons from Colorado Springs. I am afraid to call them because either they will be embarrassed for sending a Christmas card to total strangers, or we will be embarrassed because we actually do know them. I guess I will send them a Christmas card so they don't take us off their list.
David LeSueur lives in Littleton, 50 miles north of the Eltons.
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