Pen Pal Request From # 00047

Lifetime Membership # 00047

Hello! 51 – she/her – open-minded, liberal, and part of the invisible generation (that’s X… we’re after the Boomers and before the Millennials, in case you’re not sure.) I’m optimistic, realistic, humanist, atheist, creative, and kind of set in my ways even though I change and learn and grow every day. I cuss and am not sorry, it isn’t like I do it all the time and it does occasionally happen. I’m bi and currently in a 13-year permanent relationship with my boyfriend AND am still BFF with my longest-term girlfriend ever. I have one adult son who will be 33 this year. oh… and I don’t do the “long letter” thing only because it’s honestly like work some days and I never know which days those will be, so I just avoid the risk by saying I don’t do them. And as with all things, when long letters happen, I reply, because sometimes we get on a kick, and long letters happen! LOL

and the more detailed TL; DR –

Ok, with THAT out of the way… Gen X has recently decided to give up our invisibility. I think it’s hilarious to watch the content being produced by my former “peers” in that sort of wincing “wait for the inevitable crashing sound” way because people in my generation have been quiet mostly because we’re not very good at political correctness and err on the side of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” and now they’re all talking! Someone is gonna tick someone off, I can feel it coming. I’m not “afraid,” just prepared for the mini explosions. LMAO

I provide my pronouns because it’s expected, not because it bothers me if you ask. In fact, as a general rule, I don’t mind if you ask me ANYTHING; what I mind is that I’ll idiotically answer you honestly, even if that’s not properly indicated. See my belief about my whole generation above. LOL So ask at your own risk because I have no reason to lie or dodge your questions. I like me. And you can’t know if you do if I’m pretending to be someone else, right?

I really AM open-minded and liberal. And as a general rule I eschew (avoid like it could bite me, if I’m being honest) political discussions because I’m not any one thing and nothing of what I am seems to be radical or passionate enough for some people. So I guess that’s the only warning I can give about myself. See the warning at the end.

I’m an atheist and still unbothered by the wishing of a Merry Christmas or Happy St. Patrick’s Day equally with any OTHER thing you want to wish me well with. In the world today so few people openly wish well on someone they don’t know that I welcome the good wishes gratefully and just a little surprised in a pleasant way. Your beliefs don’t endanger mine. I’m an optimist, and it doesn’t make me stupid. I spent a long time feeling like people thought I was dumb for not being smart enough to know how bad things are. I kind of reject them now as the idiots because surely THEY are the ones who are too dumb to see how many good things they get every day that they’re overlooking just to stay morose and depressed, right? LOL And I’m also a realist. I know that some people DO think I’m stupid. If I put the ways that I could bother them out on my sleeves to be seen instantly, then it’s on them to be smart enough to avoid what there is about me that they don’t like because at 51 I’m still learning, and changing every day, and who I am at my core isn’t one of the things I have any interest, inclination or desire to change. I like who I am. She brings me joy every day. 

For me the best letters are 4-6 pages and filled with current events and observations and experiences and not with lists of things. Well… yeah. Mostly not lists of things. I actually get a kick out of comparing lists of things sometimes because mine changes with my mood and sometimes the time of day. Ask me my favorite foods, and the list will always include salsa and chips and tacos and fried chicken, and often not in the same order. Ask me my favorite author, and Stephen King, Michael J. Sullivan, and Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire) will always be there but not always in the same order. I always begin with a little glimpse of what’s going on right now, and that includes what I’m listening to and doing, etc… those are not advertisements or enticements unless you see something you’re interested in… they’re LITERALLY JUST WHAT I’M DOING OR EXPERIENCING. LOL

So that penpal warning, for some of you, this is the “nope” section of this advertisement: 

The “only way I’m a difficult penpal” is that I won’t be radical enough for you if you’re radically ANYTHING political or social justice related. I tend to be a humanist in the oldest sense of the word and not by any group or online defined rules. I like people. I believe we’ve survived 100% of the crap that’s threatened to eat us so far and that together we’ll manage to do it again, regardless of how passionately someone else believes we’re in the end-times of any given problem or hazard. All or none is for populace control and fear-mongering, and so I just reject it. The same is true of us vs. them in all of its forms and so I refuse to engage in the exercise. LOL, It’s ok if this is a NOPE for you. I wish you well. 

And because of the warning, I feel like I should also add the balancing positive points: 

I’m not as funny or clever or quick as I want to be, and I’m still creative, love getting to know people for who they really are, and enjoy the back and forth of letter writing so much that I always reply. I have a penpal happy mail subscription service and make zines, so there’s ALWAYS something extra to tuck into letters. I crochet and write crochet patterns, and I have never really met a craft I haven’t at least tried to see if I like it or just like the colors and textures involved when someone else does it. I make my own stationery which can include everything from using paper bags and wrapping paper with washi tapes and stickers to hand-painted notebook paper or printed fun papers with digital artwork on them. I also LOVE buying stationery and using it, so just as often, you’ll get some curated professional things because I thought it was cool.  USUALLY I handwrite (mostly ballpoint or felt tip pens, though I do have and enjoy using fountain pens) and occasionally I rely on the fact that I type over 100 wpm and typing goes faster for me, though if I’m being honest what really happens is the letters just get longer because I can type so fast that everything I’m thinking comes out on the page! LOL 

So… it’s not all bad. In fact, I’d say I’m a fun and interesting penpal to have. And I WOULD say that, right? LOL 😀 If you write, I will write back, and then you can decide.

—– / —– / —– / —– / —– / —– / —– / —– / —– / —–

If you want to write to Lifetime Member # 00047, please message us about it, and I’ll send you her mailing address. Happy writing!