Where did the postman go?

I've been thinking about that post for a while now. I would come back home at the end of the day, know what I want to write about, get myself in front of the computer, but nothing would come out. Geez, it must be hard to be a writer: you have that idea, you know what you want to write, but once in front of a white page, no words come out; you don't know where to start and how to translate in "real" all these flying abstract ideas you have in your head. Anyway, that was a big parenthesis to explain why there has not been a new post on my blog for the past few days. It might happen often, so do not hate me; I will eventually write; the timing just has to be right.


What prompted me to write this post is a small parcel I found in my mailbox the other night. When I get to my driveway, I can get a peak of what's inside the mailbox from afar, and that night I saw a small parcel. It may sounds stupid, but for a few seconds I really hoped the parcel was for me, that it would have my name written on it, but unfortunately it didn't; it had my flatmate's name on the front. So I took the parcel and dropped it in front of her room.
That episode made me think that we do not use the mailing services enough anymore. I remember receiving letters from my father when I was a kid (late 80s, early 90s). My father lived abroad, so phoning was really expensive and not practical with the time difference, and Internet, emails and skype didn't exist, so we would write. I remember being so excited when mom came back with a letter. Sometimes there would even be a drawing inside. It was always a surprise, a little cheer at the end of the day.

Unfortunately most of us lost that. We now entirely rely on emailing and skyping and do not get me wrong, I bless both, but isn't it nice to receive real letters from times to times?
I already hear the ones advocating against pollution and for the environment, and saying that emailing has allowed us to save trees and forests and all. And funnily enough this post comes at a rather interesting moment, as I just read an article in today's paper about Finland deciding to scan private mail to be able to send it through email to the recipients to cut on hiring fees, petrol, carbon dioxide, and time in the most rural parts of the country. But not too worry, the mail will still be delivered, just not as often as before. Quite funny indeed.

Well even if it means using more petrol for the postman to come to my house, I still believe it will be nice once in a while to receive a real letter or a small parcel; something you can touch, you can feel, you can smell, that unexpected dash that brightens your day.
Plus, another REALLY good reason to write letters is that these days the only letters we receive are bills, so it will be a nice break to receive something that doesn't ask you to write a check.

So here it is, reader, my words of wisdom for a happier life: ask your friends and your family for their postal address (yes because I am sure that most of you do not even know it) and get writing!