An Envelope

If you find an unexpected, unidentifiable envelope on your desk, are you the type of person that immediately suspects something negative like it’s another account to be paid or someone wanting another pound of your flesh? Or do you get excited thinking it’s good news, a party invitation,  bonus letter (touchy subject, I know), a secret admirer or just an encouraging letter from a friend telling you that you are doing really well despite the current circumstances? I think most of the time we are so used to mail bringing burden and added financial pressure, that we often just expect that that is the norm and every item of mail will bring the same. My Dad still sends us birthday cards as well as postcards from every trip he takes. It is such a pleasant surprise to get these in the mailbox in between the normal mail.

Coming back to that unassuming envelope on your desk, do you immediately open it as your curiosity is too much and you need to know what it contains? Or do you look at it for a while, imagining what it could possibly contain for you? Do you saver the thrill of the unexpected and draw out your own suspense? What if you open it and it is just a sweepstakes advertisement? Immediately opening the envelope places you in absolute certainty of the contents of the envelope and whether it contains something of significance or something of no value. The opposite extreme is if you never open the envelope, then the possibilities of what it could contain are endless, yet unattainable.

This is maybe a bit like a Schrödinger’s cat exercise, but perhaps is also a measure of certain character traits as well.

Impatient or impulsive vs cautious and persevering.

Imaginative and optimistic vs routine and negative. 

All this from a simple letter opening activity?

Perhaps see the envelope as a metaphor of the opportunities presenting themselves in your life. Have you been treating those same opportunities with the same regard as all those unassuming envelopes you have received? Expecting nothing more than another account or some junk mail advert, promising the world and delivering way short of your expectations.

Perhaps it’s time to check that mailbox with a bit more enthusiasm. Expect good things! Dream of the things you want to achieve and believe that they can happen. Open those opportunities expecting the best results. Don’t leave them unopened, not knowing if they ever contained your dream.