Okay, I admit it. There’s another man in my life. This relationship has been going on for a long time; it seems like I can’t remember a time in my life when he wasn’t there. He visits me everyday (except on Sunday), and dare I say it? He’s a man in uniform. I eagerly await his arrival and his gifts, and I am disappointed when he arrives late. Who is he? The mailman.
My love of getting mail probably has a lot to do with my infatuation with the mailman. Our relationship was pretty hot and heavy when I was younger and received postcards and letters from my friends and grandparents. My favorites were postcards with pictures of exotic locations like Cleveland or Pierre. In turn, I wrote them postcards and letters when they or I went on trips and moved away. I sought out funny cards with Garfield and Odie to send. My idealized correspondence was with pen pals: opportunities to meet people I didn’t know far, far away. There were a few brief exchanges with others, but nothing like the life-long exchange I imagined. The most interesting of my pen pals was a serviceman serving in Desert Storm. It began as all pen pal letters do, with a description of me, my life and interests. His response revealed that he may have glossed over the kind of important fact that I was also 12 years old. That was the end of that.
My affair with the mailman peaked in college with my many friends who still believed in the power of stamps and envelopes. I could not make it out of the mailroom without tearing their letters open for news from home and “hearing” the distinct voices of each of my friends. I pinned their cards to my wall to read and reread. Afterwards, life was postponed as I penned my replies and ran back to the mailroom to hear them hit the bottom of the drop box. In the meantime, my professors explained a new-fangled idea called the “internet” and I set up my first e-mail account. I didn’t realize at the time that they were the death-knell of hand-written correspondence.
Today I feel like a worn-out mistress trying to reclaim the attractions of her man. In lieu of sending flowers to myself, I order books from Amazon, subscribe to magazines, and belong to several organizations to redirect the mailman’s attention to me. He seems rather content doling out the Penny Saver and credit card offers, the same attention he gives everyone. He only remembers special occassions such as my birthday and Christmas. Delivering the Atlantic, Harper’s Monthly, and Vanity Fair are cursory glances my way. And now it looks like he may not even be stopping by on Saturdays any more. Have we entered the stage where I no longer want what he has to give: credit card bills, ads, and political fliers? Will my current pack of “Forever” stamps last me forever? Is there any chance of salvaging this relationship? Or has the end of this relationship been post-marked a long time ago?
Readers, what things did you grow up with that you miss?
I miss the greeting cards on my birthday from my friends… They were hand-made, with beautiful sketches and childish poems on friendship that meant a lot… Now it’s just animated e-cards 😦
The animated e-cards are not the same. The best thing about actual cards is the ability to save them and read them years later.
I miss kids playing out and not having to worry about wearing crash hats or shin pads. Songs without swearing in them.
Vinyl records.
Continuity announcers on TV who were sitting in a chair.
Somehow we made it through childhood without shin pads! We did all right. Vinyl records with actual lyrics that conveyed something greater… Yes. What are continuity announcers?
They are the ones that say what the next program is on TV.
TV Westerns – great in the 1960s but sadly no more!
We do not move when there’s Bonanza marathon on! I personally miss funny sitcoms that were original and clever– like Cheers.
Hey,
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Love,
Rahul Ashok
Thank you do much! I appreciate you thinking of me!
Genuinely funny. This is some good stuff keep it up girl!
Thank you! I’ll keep writing if you keep writing!
oh, I definitely miss getting letters. My best friend and I used to write to each other at the end of the school year, when she went back to live with her mother. It was fun!
I miss the anticipation of receiving a letter and knowing that someone had taken the time to write it. Thanks for stopping by!
exactly!
Reading letters is fun! And writing them too. I also love pens (specially fountain pens) and the art of writing 🙂
I imagine you also enjoyed finding nice stationary! I used to love going to stationary shops.
ooooooooooooooooooh
Yes! I also miss that a lot! I miss having matching sheets and envelopes and stuff. They even came in a matching box or folder. Those were the days, my friend. Those were the days! 🙂
Yes, they were…
Letters are wonderful. Getting them in the mail, opening them, reading, then rereading them later. It’s all so cozy. But, as you say, they’re quickly becoming a thing of the past. Like Christmas cards. I don’t get near as many of those as in years past. Maybe fols are forgetting how to write on paper in general.
Though it was a big deal when I was in grade school, penmanship is fast becoming a lost art. My own handwriting these days is atrocious. Did I spell that right?
I miss checks, too. Debit cards have made them almost non-existent.
I see Blade Runner in our future!
People are also having their Christmas cards printed with their names on them, so even that personal touch is disappearing. As for penmanship, mine is pretty awful, too. Some of my students have horrible penmanship and I will not read it if I can’t figure it out. They have to rewrite it or take a zero. (how do I know that it’s not jibberish?)
I hope it doesn’t become Blade Runner, but it’s easy to draw that conclusion.
I remember the first time I saw Blade Runner and wondering if I’d live long enough to see all of the gadgety stuff displayed in the movie. I sure hope all of the far out there stuff in that movie doesn’t come to pass!
When I saw Blade Runner I wondered if I would ever meet Harrison Ford. I wouldn’t mind that happening…
Well, that’s a given.
; )
Loved this truly gorgeous and clever post….. The mail man….. lol…. I’m with you…. I no longer appreciate the bills he leaves for me……
Exactly! If he’s not going to give us the attention we deserve, he could at least pay those bills or make them go away! : )
Thank you!