But here's one that is hitting closer to my heart. A recent news headline proclaimed that the US Post Office is looking to cut costs..... one proposed method is to have a law changed (there's a law about it?) so that Saturday deliveries would be eliminated.
On the surface, that sounds like a good idea. Green, and all that. After all, email and other online transactions have really reduced the flow of snail mail, and that trend is likely to continue.
On the other hand......
When I go out to my mailbox, which, in my semi-rural area of town where there are no paved sidewalks, is across the street......... I typically find the same things that you do. Store sale ads and flyers. Bills. College recruitment stuff (Ok, so I have kids that age.). Magazines. Newsletters that are really ads in disguise.
But sometimes, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, and JOY of JOYS! ...... There is an envelope, a piece of personal mail. A LETTER! And when I bring the mail in, I usually leave it all in stack for Todd to see when he gets home............ except for my letter -- and then the first thing I do is slit open the envelope and read my letter. It's like a huge, HUGE treat. Do you do that, too?
When I first left home for college, which was my first time away from home, I got on a letter-writing kick. I'm sure it endeared me to my parents, since it meant they heard from me quite often. My mother, in particular, had impressed upon me the need to be frugal with my spending money. So I walked on out to K-Mart (2 miles?), bought a box of plain white envelopes and a pad of plain white paper, and I was set. A stamp cost a mere 20¢.
I wrote a lot, and I wrote to a number of different people -- family, friends, old youth leaders, etc. The amazing result was that I also received mail back from these people. Of course, not everyone wrote back all the time, but I still received quite a bit. And my roommates were very, very envious. There is not usually a lot of mail for college students, so sometimes the only incoming piece of mail was a letter for Marilyn. I tried to explain to my roommates that to GET mail, you had to SEND mail. I don't think I ever made that point to most of them. They didn't write, but continued to be envious of my incoming mail. Of course, this was back in the Dark Ages, before the Internet and email even existed.
I'm not down on email, don't get me wrong. In fact, I admit I spend more time on the computer than I should, and I don't play games, either.
But there is something very cheering about a real letter on paper, coming in via snail mail. I've come a long way from the plain-paper days, and I love finding fun stationery, or creating my own with colored cardstock & my Cricut cutter. Sometimes, I get too caught up in life, and my letter-writing goes out the window. Other times, (like now!) I get back on a correspondence kick, and I write people again. Over the years, as I have pared down my Christmas card list, my circle of mail recipients has shrunk too. So I am also trying to send out some random cards to local friends and acquaintances, thanking them for something they have done or some service they have rendered to my family. My next random card will be going to my ward librarian, for the extra copies she has to do for me as ward Relief Society activities coordinator.
I try not to let "time" be an excuse. It takes me about 5 minutes to write a note, address the envelope, fold, seal and stamp it. Seriously, that is NOT that much time. If I took only five minutes a day, and wrote to someone each day, that would be 30 pieces of mail a month, and each one could possibly make someone's mailbox trip into a fun experience and bring a smile to their face. (I don't really write that much, but it's a nice thought, huh!!)
Plus, I was further inspired yesterday, when I blog-stalked myself into this video. So, I am extending to you the challenge that I found on the blog. To write a note. A letter. Send a card. It doesn't need to be much. But maybe you can make someone's day with it.
And maybe, the Post Office would re-think their Saturday deliveries!
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