To Whom it May Concern

An interesting thing happened today. OK, I found it interesting. You may think that I am just lame. Know what? I don't care.

Back in the beginning of December, my work gave us the opportunity to send a Christmas card to a soldier overseas. I decided that I wanted to send a card. Figure that everyone likes getting mail, right? So, I colored in my polar bear (camo) and wrote what I hoped was a witty and fun card. On a whim, I opted to include my email address. I thought it would be nice to have a pen pal. Haven't had one of those since, oh, 3rd grade or so. I gave an email address that I don't check much simply because it doesn't have my last name in it. Better safe, right?

Update: I'm finishing this post on Jan 9.

I checked the account and buried in my usual pile of stuff from Amazon and Comedy Central was an email with the subject "Ben in Afghanistan". Ben was the random soldier to receive my card and apparently liked it enough to email me. He was at a base for resupply and had emailed me on Jan 3. I wrote back, hoping that almost a week later, he was still able to get email. I told him he could include his APO so I could write him letters. I wasn't sure if I would catch him. He seemed pretty happy to have someone to talk to. Maybe he's hoping I will supply him with goodies from home. As he is from KS, I hope he doesn't expect any local delicacies.

Luck was on my side, and I did catch him before he went back to his usual base. Which, according to him, is one of the most remote in Afghanistan. He said it takes about a month for letters to arrive. He included his APO and I wrote him this morning. It's kind of strange writing a letter to someone who isn't going to read it for weeks. Oh, and the fact that I don't know him is a little weird too.

One thing I am refusing to do is imagine that he is some smart, handsome, funny, amazing guy. I did not write that card in the hope of obtaining a date. I'm not one of those sad women who write to men in jail and then marry them. And anyone who knows me AT ALL should know that I would not seek out another military man. Been there, done that, threw out the t-shirt. I really just wanted to brighten some poor grunt's day. It's got to suck so hard to be over there. And maybe he doesn't have a lot of family to write to him. Heh, or maybe he is hoping that I'm smart, cute, and awesome. Maybe he wants a date.