Friendship across borders

I had an „Iron Curtain Moment” at the post office this morning.

I think one of the best ways to stay human in the face of a crisis is to give each other an unexpected joy, so I really wanted to send this thing to Italy, to my friend from University whom I had met again at a trade fair a couple of years ago. She had looked beyond the obvious and had “seen” me in a moment when I was feeling terribly down, so I decided that it was time to let her know how special she is.

Even before Corona, it had become unnecessarily cumbersome to send anything outside of Germany (Anything that is not “documents”, i.e. loose sheets, is considered “goods” and must be sent with a parcel, not an envelope).

My envelope this morning was small and flat.

“What is it?”
“Pictures”, I said.
“Pictures are goods, not documents!”, said the lady, adding that “all envelopes will be inspected and sent back in case they contain goods”.

And she made me send the content of said envelope (14×21 cm) in a parcel!

What’s the point of all this? Wasn’t it a blessing to let goods, information and people circulate freely?

Luckily, we will overcome this. Friendship is stronger, and we will stay human even with barriers, borders, and obstacles.