This morning we have an unusual story to relate.
Being a bit finicky and not liking rough edges or torn paper, especially when tearing open the mail, we had been contemplating acquiring a letter opener.
Now this is a modest ambition. Keep that in mind as we share our experience.
It was a past Saturday that we spoke our desire for a letter opener out loud.
Touring a museum of a well known knife manufacturer we mentioned to a friend to keep an eye out for an opener as they had many forms of edged tools on sale at the souvenir shop. The museum had a multitude of sharp things but no letter opener could be found. They are now nearly obsolete at this point with electronic mail. Probably wouldn’t have spent the money anyway as everything on display was grossly overpriced.
Still my desire to neatly slice through envelopes was a palpable desire. Perhaps my letting loose of the sound of this wish into the ether had the effect which I will now reveal.
This past Monday morning the sound of thudding feet on the wooden stairs leading to my anteroom of eternity brought a grandson charging into the door. He had found a little treasure while riding his bike down the road near an abandoned farmstead. He often brings old bottles and trinkets to identify. This time he smilingly held forth a brown plastic Fuller Brush Man letter opener.
I was dumbfounded, having never revealed my wish for this item in his presence.
We promptly looked it up on the internet and discovered what it was. Going price, 10 bucks.
Fuller Brush was once one of the largest direct marketing companies. They went door to door. I can recall one salesman being turned away when I was a pre-schooler. I guess the sight of a man in a suit with a brief case of wares at the front door at 9 am made an impression to last all these years.
Alfred Fuller, the company founder, was once quoted as saying,
“I washed babies with a back brush, swept stairs, cleaned radiators and milk bottles, dusted floors—anything that would prove the worth of what I had to sell.”
Fuller was a successful entrepreneur in the American tradition of the power of positive thinking epitomized by Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, and the English Barbadian Neville Goddard.
Yes, I had visualized acquiring a letter opener over more than a year as I am a stickler for clean edges. I spoke my desire out loud where it could be heard but not by the little imp who delivered. And there it showed up at my door. The next time I will be more specific in my desire and wish for a sharp letter opener. My plastic brown specimen with the suited gentleman carrying a briefcase was dull and incapable of slicing the fold, cleanly. Considering the age of this little desktop helper, it is not surprising. I can still put an edge on it though.
Now tell me the universe doesn’t have a sense of humor.”
—Justin Aldmann, our THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX correspondent
(Mr Aldmann has sworn that not one word of this little bit of synchronicity was made up. It happened as told, although he doesn’t actually own the letter opener. His grandson said he will retain proprietary rights and is only letting him use it for the time being.)
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