WINSTON WEEKLY^[1]

November 17, 2024

Vol. 2, No. 46

OF LETTERS AND STAMPS[2]

It still surprises me how many college-age students do not know how to address and mail a letter with a stamp. Yet, it is not surprising given that they have spent most of their lives surrounded by technology. Why take the time to write a letter when one can hide behind a screen and push a button? While I embrace a certain level of technology, I often wonder whether the disconnect people feel is due to losing out on the ordinary and yet extraordinary tasks that were part of my life growing up.

I fondly remember licking envelopes and stamping them for my mother. She raised, showed, and bred horses, and taught riding workshops for much of my lifetime. Although the internet and e-mail were prevalent in the latter part of her life, she preferred to write letters and prepare quirky flyers to mail to potential customers and students. She and her parents exchanged letters for decades, even until shortly before my grandparents passed away. My mother and I often traveled to the Post Office, only to be delayed by a conversation with the mail clerk or a customer. My mother rarely rushed to leave a conversation, despite being an introvert. While sometimes irritated by the latest news from the local feed store, complaints about the price of gas or the changing weather, and the latest adventures of Farmer Fred, I now reflect fondly on those trips and conversations.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

Write a letter, or teach a child, student, or someone else how to write a letter. Consider visiting a nursing home or community center and see if you can help an older adult write and send a letter. Visit your local Post Office and check out the assortment of stamps and other services they offer. Have a conversation with the mail clerk or a customer.

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[1] Copyright November 17, 2024. Winston Weekly is a weekly newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles available at www.baylesconnect.com or by e-mail at baylesconnect@gmail.com. Please feel free to share with the appropriate attribute.

[2] The picture book by Gail Gibbons, The Post Office Book: Mail and How it Moves, is a worthy read. For a fun and imaginative book, check out It Came in the Mail by Ben Clanton. Philip F. Rubio’s book, There’s Always Worth at the Post Office, explores the history of African postal workers.