Snail Mail

There aren’t nearly as many instances these days that I send something through the mail. There is a lot that can be done electronically that we used to do via mail. Even gifts can be ordered online and sent directly. The majority of items I receive in the mail are catalogs or ads that are sorted directly into the paper recycle pile. There are the occasional notifications and coupons for items I actually want to buy; it’s a challenge to find them amongst the things I am not interested in at all.

The only snail mail cards and letters I send these days are to individuals that, for one reason or another, are not online. Reverting to an older style of communicating takes a little extra thought - maybe a little more time - but it has the reward of overcoming a barrier that could end a relationship too soon. It has a dimension that email does not have - the physical paper or cards, envelopes, address labels, and stamps. There is tremendous variety. My favorite elements of variety are the stamps celebrating the 200th anniversary of statehood for Arizona, Louisiana, and New Mexico.