Odd, I never really thought of letter boxing as competing with others. I thought it more of competing with myself physically and mentally. Although I do get a giddy feeling when I am the first one to sign into a new box or I find a hitchhiker ( I suspect it's that inner child :) but I wouldn't hold it over someone's head.

I do letter box with two other people and we do keep count of how many letter boxes, we do it to set goals for ourselves like by the end of summer let's see about getting the stamp count to 200. We also log the name, city location, and date of the letter boxes we find but again that is mostly for us to look at. We have had the occasional question of what was your favorite letter box. At that point we start flipping through the book and pointing out the ones we liked or found the clues to be really good. But since I do letter box with two other people I always walk away enjoying the experience because we all talk, goof off, and generally have a great time while looking for letter boxes. Plus we get outside and in a since have something to do instead sitting inside and just hanging out.

--
When people run around and around in circles we say they are crazy. When planets do it we say they are orbiting.

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "mr_elsworth_toohey"
Letterboxing competitive? Really? That would mean I'm letterboxing for
all of you. I letterbox for my own enjoyment, why should I care about
what all of you are up to? Typical of the human animal though to make
everything about wining and conquering others. I remember a time when
most people on this list signed their posts with their PFX count.
Maybe that should be brought back then you can give everyone on this
list power over your self esteem...

The question is not 'how many boxes did you find' or 'what box did you
find that no one else has found' but 'did you have fun finding them?'
The rest just gives others power over your own happiness. Leave the
playground mentality to the children and be responsible for your own
psyche.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I am with you, barrudaki. My two LB companions and I feel exactly the same way and plan just as you do - setting personal goals that we don't necessarily care that someone else sees.

I don't suppose it was the original intent of letterboxing to be 'competitive' and sometimes wonder if this relatively recently acquired aspect is not the reason I see so many boxes lately that are carelessly sealed and, in several cases, left completely in the open or hidden so poorly that they may as well be left out it the open. It would be such a shame if people were to lose the 'timelessness' of the hobby for the sake of 'box count.'



barrudaki@comcast.net wrote: Odd, I never really thought of letter boxing as competing with others. I thought it more of competing with myself physically and mentally. Although I do get a giddy feeling when I am the first one to sign into a new box or I find a hitchhiker ( I suspect it's that inner child :) but I wouldn't hold it over someone's head.

I do letter box with two other people and we do keep count of how many letter boxes, we do it to set goals for ourselves like by the end of summer let's see about getting the stamp count to 200. We also log the name, city location, and date of the letter boxes we find but again that is mostly for us to look at. We have had the occasional question of what was your favorite letter box. At that point we start flipping through the book and pointing out the ones we liked or found the clues to be really good. But since I do letter box with two other people I always walk away enjoying the experience because we all talk, goof off, and generally have a great time while looking for letter boxes. Plus we get outside and in a since have something to do instead sitting inside and just hanging out.

--
When people run around and around in circles we say they are crazy. When planets do it we say they are orbiting.

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "mr_elsworth_toohey"
Letterboxing competitive? Really? That would mean I'm letterboxing for
all of you. I letterbox for my own enjoyment, why should I care about
what all of you are up to? Typical of the human animal though to make
everything about wining and conquering others. I remember a time when
most people on this list signed their posts with their PFX count.
Maybe that should be brought back then you can give everyone on this
list power over your self esteem...

The question is not 'how many boxes did you find' or 'what box did you
find that no one else has found' but 'did you have fun finding them?'
The rest just gives others power over your own happiness. Leave the
playground mentality to the children and be responsible for your own
psyche.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]