Mail Call

I just read a post by Andrea Merriman on The Unexpected Life about "Miracle Mail," mail she received after a family tragedy involving her husband's arrest for fraud. Most, though not all, the mail was a generous outpouring of help from strangers. She received gift cards from stores, cash, and encouragement, often anonymous. Wow! People CAN be wonderful! And I'm so happy that she has experienced this blessing.

I had been thinking about a post concerning mail before I read hers. I was thinking how fun mail was when I was a teenager and the first few years of college. (I didn't really think then about the other mail my parents were receiving that were bills and collection notices. We were cash strapped when I was young. We had bill collectors plaguing us and often coming to our door since we had no phone. It was very upsetting for me  but ,as I think back now, it must have been agonizing for my parents. Why didn't I think of that then?? Selfish and young, I guess...)

Back to the "fun" mail. I remember getting letters from friends, acceptance letters to college, scholarship notification and financial aid information, and cards. People used to send cards for ordinary occasions just to cheer or encourage. Cards didn't cost $3 each then. I think it was more like a quarter. And postage--10 cents for a first class stamp.

My mother wrote to me every day when I was in college just so I'd always get mail. She was a trooper. We didn't have money, but we had love. She knew I was homesick and needed just a little boost each day. Some times it was only a line or two.

I also had several pen pals. Do people even have pen pals now? Doubtful that it's very common what with email, texting, cell phones, Skype, etc. No, I guess pen pals are passe too.

There were thin tissue airmail letters from the war in Viet Nam. Several of my friends there would write and the letters would be stained with mud and sweat (literally) from the fighting in jungles in a country I had no knowledge of. It was dangerous, painful, and mysterious. I remember the daily death count on the news and hoping that my friends would never be among them. The ones I wrote to came home, but often with drug problems and psychological effects that haunt them even today.

We used to get tax refunds--small, golden brown envelopes with a blue speckled check peeping out from the window. Ahhh! Rick got other checks in the mail too when his family settled his dad's estate. Those were wonderful but never to return. (My family is still poor with no inheritance, sorry!) I can spot a check from miles away.

When I was young you could still get cash in the mail. A dollar or a five would fall out of Grandma's birthday card. Loved it! Can't do that any more either. Never send cash in the mail!

The best I've had lately is when Fry's food stores sent me free Cardinals tickets as the winner of a contest I didn't even know about. Just for being a Fry's customer. That was a treat I won't soon forget.

So where was this post going? Oh, yes, mail. It used to be interesting, inexpensive, and enjoyable. It's not that any more. In AZ you can get alarming and unexpected traffic tickets in the mail announcing that you were caught speeding, proving it with a grainy, black and white photo capturing your unaware stare while you sped past that damn camera. Or there might be a similar citation for a red-light violation when you tried to sneak through the caution.  No, no, Arizona drivers. Don't think you can escape the law here. They know your address and they send you the exorbitant ticket for any where from $181-214. Pay up, by mail, thank you or you'll receive summonses in the mail too.

Then rarely (thank you, God) there's the IRS letter. We were audited two years ago. I thought I would dissolve into a puddle of goo. It turned out all right that time. (We actually got money back.) But it was a traumatic ordeal and I NEVER want to repeat that. Please no mail from the IRS. Please!

When we first got cell phones, our provider often sent us horrendous bills with overages because we talked too many minutes. Hundreds of dollars for two people who really were clueless about calling plans. I think we've ironed out that disaster, for now.

Occasionally, light bills and gas bills can sky rocket in the extreme temperatures (winters in Idaho and summers in Arizona.) I hate those too. I really dread those.

Okay, so this is going nowhere fast, isn't it? My point was that I miss the magic of fun mail that used to find it's way to my mail box when I was young, unfettered, and more carefree. Days like those are not coming back. The best I can hope for now is a package delivered from UPS or sometimes that key the mailman leaves in your box telling you there's a package held captive in the big box of the mail maze. That's the best I can hope for now. And 99.9 percent of the time, I've ordered those packages and paid for them with a credit card, so they're not really magic at all. I miss fun mail.