Anticipated Unknowns

When I was a kid, I viewed our humble mailbox as a near-magical portal which was capable of holding almost any delight. This thanks to a great aunt who encouraged my interest in biology with a years long Ranger Rick subscription, an uncle who ensured that birthday gifts (along with the fancy cards that were odd shapes or had stickers or coloring books) arrived precisely on the morning of my birthday, and, among many others, a friendly mailman named Mr Smith who would allow me to bypass postage by taking notes home to his daughter - my friend - if I waited by the mailbox to give them to him, and would also deliver replies. It wasn't limited to receiving, either - I sent thank you notes any time anyone gave me anything, managed several pen pals, and corresponded with friends who no longer lived nearby.

There's just something so special about finding something in the mailbox with your name on it (that isn't a bill). Besides Ranger Rick, child me also got Nature Friend and Birds and Blooms magazines, a combination which ensured interesting new reading material at least every few weeks. Since moving out, my mum has ensured that at least some of the mail is still fun by keeping me in a subscription of some sort - knitting magazines, natural lifestyle magazines, and one year she gave me a monthly tea subscription for my birthday.

All of the subscriptions that are available now are delightfully dangerous. I love supporting woman owned/local/fair trade businesses but don't necessarily have loads of time (or need) for shopping. The Fair Trade Friday earring and bracelet subscriptions I've had since Mercy House started them make it convenient to change the world, one accessory at a time. As a bonus, I'm not in love with every single piece so I am able to give them as gifts or to friends just-because. This recent ceramic bracelet set by Papillon, however, is one of my favorites!

I also really love structured surprises. I'm not a tremendous fan of surprises in a general sense, but knowing that this package will have, say, earrings of some sort in it is fun for me. It also helps me deviate from my norms a little. I abandoned a "year of lists" project at one point because my answers were so often the same (reading, writing, knitting, tea, music, nature) and while the easily pleased are more often pleased, there is also something to be said for trying new things.

For example, I love bullet journaling (it appeals to my need to organize information in a way that I can find it again later) but my particular brand of artistry does not lend itself well to the adorable and fabulous decorations that come across my Instagram feed. Having a sticker subscription, however, ensures a steady (but reasonable) stream of useable artwork, collected in themed packs, that often prompt me to see things differently than I might otherwise have. The birthday tea subscription was similar - I was exposed to a fascinating variety of teas that I wouldn't have otherwise tried, one of which became a favorite (as it was an herbal tea and I tend to prefer black teas I likely would never have come across it on my own).

Thanks to thoughtful grandparents, my kiddos look forward to Highlights magazines and KiwiCo science boxes, and every birthday and Christmas I ensure that thank you notes are sent - even if they can't write, they can still draw a picture, or like last year, one child made paper hearts with art on them and another made finger knitted bracelets. Gotta make sure we keep the mail going both ways!

Shockingly, I've thus far evaded book and plant subscriptions, although it's honestly probably only a matter of time before I subscriptionize my entire life, especially given the current restrictions around in person shopping!