263 Keep the mail coming!

Keep the mail coming!! 

Not the postal service, not the postal service!

This was my most recent reaction when attacks started blasting the U.S. Postal Service. Granted most of us don’t mail as many items as we used to since other services have taken some of the business.

BUT come on--don’t we all still send cards (sympathy, birthday, holiday), packages, and even a few bills. Sometimes, it is difficult to express emotions, such as sympathy in a text, tweet, or email.

In addition, the postal service is a large part of our history and means a great deal to many of us, growing up in the U.S., especially in rural areas.

Actually, the birthday of the system was celebrated this past month. The postal system was established on July 26,1775 by the Second Continental Congress with Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster, according to history.com. In 1789, there were about 75 post offices in the country and now that number is over 40,000. It doesn’t get any more real than that.

Nothing was more exciting as a youngster when a card came for a birthday (often with a few dollars in it) or a package with a magical unexpected present possibly from an order through the holiday catalog.

Of course, there are budget issues, but some services are so important we should be very careful to protect them. I don’t mind my tax money going for not only the post office but education and transportation (trains). Don’t tell me we can’t afford these basic services when there is always money for everything else but that’s another blog topic!!

Reflecting on growing up and how the post office affected our lives, I have to say it was a lifeblood for me. Actually, it was somewhat a rite of passage. The mail came twice a day back then, and we had to make the trip to the post office to check our box for any missives. In the upper elementary grades, I convinced my mom I was old enough to make the trek – a mile or less—twice a day to check the box.

This not only gave me a little freedom but also taught me some responsibility. I could take a younger sibling on occasion which added to my credibility. Plus, I got to see our mail first – not that it meant much to me, but I had to be so careful to get it home unscathed.

At one point, my grandfather owned the building where the post office was housed. I really took that personally and felt real ownership in the maintaining of the service.

Later, I really appreciated the lifeline the postal service provided as I took off for college. The letters were regular and often contained a few extra bucks to make it through the week. Those letters were really revered.

Then as many of my generation moved far away from home, letters again sustained us as long-distance calls were expensive. Packages again were a real treat whether expected or not and usually made my day on many occasions.

So please don’t dismiss the postal service--sure electronic methods help us to communicate quicker but there is still a purpose for the post. Yearly, 212 billion pieces of mail are delivered, according to history.com.

I still can’t wait each day for the mail to arrive especially during these days when we are confined to our homes, helping to stem the tide of the coronavirus. Often times, it may contain advertisements but a letter or card will often sneak in. I can also leave letters to be mailed which usually saves me time and is so convenient.

And don’t forget the packages brought to our door!! My ordering has increased tenfold since shopping became nonexistent during the shutdown so deliveries are now part of our daily routine. Even though there are delivery services not part of the post office, many of them use the post for the last leg of the package’s journey. 

I recently apologized to our postal carrier for the number of packages I had added recently that he had to deliver. He explained that was not a problem and that many of his customers have several packages delivered each day!

The most amazing delivery I had during this time was a dehumidifier at my front door within 24 hours. I still look forward to in-person shopping but for now, I rely on the postal service and other delivery services.

I did cut back on Christmas cards in the past few years, mainly because I had just grown tired of addressing them and felt guilty if I didn’t include a personal note with each one. I thought I would not receive them any more since I had not sent them, but guess what, we still get just as many. Some people still make the effort to send good wishes and take advantage of the post.

So please, hands off the postal service. For some people, it may be the only person they see on a regular basis, particularly during a pandemic.

I know my mom who lived by herself for 15 years after my dad died (definitely her choice), really enjoyed her mail person, who happened to be her nephew, in the last years of her life. She loved the daily delivery of mail with a great big smile and happy greeting.

Even though we complain how the prices for a stamp have increased, we must admit it is still a bargain. Remember the postal motto – “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” And they definitely live up to that saying.

Frances