Dear Mabel

Only a fool stands in line at the postal counter this time of year to send a package. The lines are long. The customers ahead of you are needy. The clerks are as patient as they can possibly be considering the demands of holiday postal needs. And, of course, I am one of the fools.

A last minute change of plans meant I had a small package to send to a friend. It was not imperative that it arrive by Christmas. I just wanted to check it off my list. I queued up at the courtesy counter of my nearby pharmacy. An elderly couple (even older than I am!) was struggling with package mailing issues. There were two clerks on duty but one of them seemed to be in her own world, friendly but painfully slow so we were at a standstill. I have the luxury of discretionary time so I did what I always do while waiting and that is to look for interesting things to entertain my mind. Soon enough I spotted the Plexiglas encased sample letter on the counter. Here is the story my mind enjoyed.

A young man in his 20's receives an important form through snail mail. It needs to be completed and returned by snail mail. The young man (we will call him Biff) completes the form and goes to the courtesy counter to put it in the mail.

Clerk: "Hi, how can I help you?"

Biff: "I have a form that needs to be in the mail today." Biff slides the form across the counter to the clerk.

Clerk, patiently recognizing that this is going to be an uphill climb, asks "Do you have an envelope for the form?"

Biff: "Uh, no. I didn't know I needed one."

Clerk: "Sorry, we cannot mail items that are not in envelopes." Clerk takes pity on Biff and provides Biff with an envelope. "Just fill out the front of the envelope and then we can get it in the mail for you."

Biff struggles to fold the form to fit in the envelope but finally completes the task. Biff then admits that he has no idea how to fill out the front of the envelope. Texting has not prepared him for this complicated task.

Clerk: "You are in luck. I have a sample envelope for you." Clerk positions the Plexiglas display in front of Biff.

Biff sighs with relief as he works his way through the process. Upon completion he looks at the clerk and asks, "What next?"

Clerk: "Now we put a stamp in the top right hand corner and you are good to go."

Biff completes the stamp transaction and affixes the stamp on the envelope.

Clerk, taking the envelope and dropping it in the mail bin, says, "Have a nice day!"

The End.

I wish I could say my story is completely fabricated. I have more than once seen young folks struggling with the logistics of addressing and stamping envelopes. This is no surprise considering how we communicate today. The Luddite in me would like to see all of us return to old-fashioned letter writing. In reality, I am a terrible letter writer and I apologize to all of you who faithfully send beautiful Christmas cards each year. Your diligence is appreciated.

My New Year's possibility for all of us is to send a few messages through good old-fashioned snail mail. It could be a thank-you card to a dear friend. A birthday card to a family member. A kind note to a neighbor.

If you have kids, teach them the joy of sending and receiving handwritten mail before it becomes a lost art. It is definitely a way to share old-fashioned kindness.