I got a handwritten note in the mail the other day from a colleague. We live in the same neighborhood in Chicago, text about 30 times a week, and see each other at least once a month. However, we play Words With Friends with ferocity and two days before, I'd played high scoring tiles across three bonus spaces for a single word total of 119 points at the very end of the game. The card she sent had just the winning word, QUEENS, in block capitals. The paper was thick, luxurious cream-colored stock. Her letterhead was impressed at the top of the card. The envelope had a satiny texture. It was an expensive way to say "mad respect." I vowed on the spot to find a reason, soon, to work with her again and found a place on my desk where that card will be prominently displayed forever. That deployment of fine stationery made an impression. It emphasized that though we mostly connect through a scrabble knockoff on our phones, our mutual respect is real. Like the card.
Originally published November 13, 2023
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