Snail Mail

In the continuing series, I Love...Part III (Part I and Part II), I want to dwell for a moment on "snail mail". One of my favorite things to receive is a letter or package in the mail. What got me thinking about this again is a package I received on Saturday from a friend of mine. She had read below about me being unable to locate a certain candy that I love to snack on, and she found it by her and dropped a whole bag of it in the mail for me. Imagine my surprise to not only receive the candy, but to know she had been thinking about me! We all receive plenty of bills, junk mail, magazines, and advertisements. But how often do you receive an honest-to-goodness letter or package in the mail? Email letters from friends are nice to receive and certainly convenient, but I can't hold it in my hands as I walk up the driveway from the mailbox, feeling how many sheets of paper might be inside, or if a photo is contained therein. There's just something about the whole surprise of seeing personal mail sitting in amongst the junk and bills that instantly brightens my day.

Just 20 years ago there was no internet, no email for the masses. I used to be a decent letter writer "back in the day" and had an assortment of stationary (I still have the remnants of some in the original boxes. They're probably considered relics these days.) At one point in my past, I was located on the east coast and my best friend was on the west coast. We kept our friendship renewed by writing letters, buying stamps, and going to the mailbox. We didn't have money for long distance phone calls, but we could swing the cost of a stamp once or twice a month. We carried on long-distance debates, the latest on our families, the trials we were facing, and the joys we felt. So it's no wonder to me that when I receive something personal in the mail, it instantly brings back good feelings.

I've also kept in touch with a pen-pal I was paired up with back in 7th grade. We've managed to stay in touch all these years.....boyfriends, graduation, college, marriages, careers, children, etc. However, she refuses to get on board with email. At first I was annoyed, because a stamp to Finland is about $1 and an email is free. But I tell ya, whenever I see one of her envelopes in the mailbox.....with her familiar hand writing....I'm thrilled, wondering what news she has to share with me. In a way, I'm glad she's content to keep writing "snail mail" letters. For sure, emails are quick and efficient and I admit I'm guilty of overusing it, but it will never take the place of a hand written note. That's probably why I hang on to them and even have notes from friends that were passed back and forth in the halls of high school.