You've Got Mail

Almost every day before I open my mailbox to reveal the contents awaiting my retrieval, I wonder if I will be surprised with an unexpected piece of mail. Will today be the day I get a notice for a package that needs to be picked up? How about a card from a friend or family member? Or will today be the day I receive the ruby slipper of all signed, sealed, delivered items…a hand-written letter? Even though the possibility is similar to the one that develops when trying to operate a metal claw located inside a glass box, for which you are outside of, to capture a cheap stuffed animal within a thirty-second time frame (= unlikely), today was no different with regard to my curiosity.

As I started the flow of the three-step retrieval process---insert key, turn right, then pull back and to the right---I not only wondered if I would find something out of the ordinary, but hoped for its presence. Nothing quite compares to that moment of appreciation that is experienced at the acknowledgment of someone’s efforts using a dying communication vehicle; a voiceless gesture that speaks loudly.

Because of my short stature, I actually stand on the decorative brick step that borders the base of the massive mailbox display to access my numbered unit. The added height is almost too much, however, and results in a slight stoop to view the newly acquired mailbox items. At first glance, it didn’t look promising. Just to be sure, I grabbed for the contents and quickly shuffled through the loose advertisements and credit card offers. Without even a second thought, I put the mail back into the mailbox and shut the door.

It was almost as if leaving the junk mail in the mailbox meant that I didn’t have to be responsible for it. I didn’t have to find a place for the clutter before I had to read it and then, ultimately, toss or recycle it. It’s as if it didn’t exist. Yet, it did…and it does…so it appears I’m just postponing the inevitable. Did I just turn my mailbox into a storage unit?

After laughing at my reaction to this spam of the snail-mail world, I had to ask myself what is so appealing about hand-written communication and deliveries. Is it the effort that is exerted to send the item? Is it the lowered expectations for timely feedback? Is it because email and text messages are so common and frequent? In the end, I think it’s just the satisfaction of acknowledgement from someone you care about. Ultimately, when you’ve got mail, it’s the sender who sparks retrieval no matter the medium.