Confessions of a junkie: Mail lust.

When the U.S. Post Office announced it might cancel Saturday delivery, I gasped.  How will I manage my flurry of outgoing mail?  How will I  deal with the loss of not peeking into my newly replaced Smith & Hawken mailbox to see what lurks within?

(And yes, I indulged myself and got a cool gold ‘flag’ that pops up when I have something for the mailman to take.)  The Post Office gets unfairly maligned.   No other industry gets kicked around as much as they do.  It’s not fair to say, “He went postal” and think all bureaucrats are slovenly.  Sometimes the lines are long, I agree.

Sometimes they’re maddeningly benign.  But for the most part, they deliver in snow and sleet, rain and hail.  Would YOU want to wear shorts in the heat and risk dog bites on your ankles all year round?

The Post Office is trying to catch up.  They’ve got a website — usps.com — but just like the institution, it’s difficult to navigate and poorly organized.  (I just spent thirty minutes trying to buy stamps on it and it rejected my re-set password.)

But still — there’s a lot about them that’s good. For forty-six cents, where else can we get instant gratification?

A latte from Starbucks is gone after twelve minutes — if that.  A letter lingers on the desk, in your heart, for weeks…or longer.

A clipping says “I’m thinking of you.” For one measly stamp, I can deliver joy.