The mid-term elections in the U.S. can’t come—and go– soon enough as far as I’m concerned.

I’m sick and tired of the incessant parade of tv spots warning that unless I vote Republican the liberal mob, reinforced by a caravan of dangerous immigrants somewhere south of the Border will destroy jobs and turn us all into socialists or worse.

My email inbox is also praying for an end of this digital march of doom.  If I never see another Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee email trumpeting a Four-for-One Match that MUST be met in the next 37 minutes if we are to hold Donald Trump, the right-wing, and billionaire greed and corruption in check I won’t be one bit sad.

And the same goes for all the telephone calls and text messages blasted at me every 15 minutes with an urgency and threat that the future of democracy –red, blue or purple—is solely dependent on me.  Ditto for the direct mail flyers, brochures and letters stuffed into the rain-soaked mailbox perched on a pole at the end of my lane. (I won’t even get started on cable news and the networks’ panting pundits.  Suffice to say these days I’ve become an even bigger devotee of the BBC.)

Clearly, technology now makes it possible for the consultants and candidates of both parties to save humanity while ignoring the sensibilities of people.

No wonder yesterday’s NBC/Wall Street Journal reported that the one thing 80% of all Americans agree on is that we are a divided nation!

I do realize this hyperbolic flood is essential for the basic function of flushing out MONEY.  By election day this deluge will have produced $2 billion + for mid-term campaigns.  And, most pleasing to me, it’s leveled the playing field in the battle between billionaire donors and the rest of us;  giving ‘ordinary’ folks a better chance to compete.

But, by now I’ve had quite enough, thank you.

AND SO… I was delighted when Barry Cox, a talented copywriting colleague from my days in the political foxhole, kindly sent me a photo of an outside envelope that was not political, notbearing news of the apocalypse, and was just plain fun.

Take a look below.  This piece from Backpackermagazine is nothing short of a direct mail palette cleanser, a calming, humorous pause reminding me that before my political inbox dings again and the next campaign rings my phone, there is a real and different—and quite calm– world out there.

My thanks to Barry Cox and my  admiration for the other copywriters who have to get their non-political messages across the raging river of political pleading.

In 15 days, it will all be over.

Then… we can all look forward to #GivingTuesday.

Roger