Love Letter or Hate Mail?

 

Sadly, I’ve realized I have a love hate affair with mail. On some days I find myself checking the mailbox multiple times of the day. Why? I don’t know. Maybe I’m bored. Maybe I’m looking for an excuse to step outside. Routinely, I check my mailbox every time I enter or exit my home, regardless if I’ve already received mail that day, even on Sunday.

I’m not sure why I do this. Perhaps I have a problem regarding mail. Now, it’s understandable to exhibit this behavior when expecting a package, not so understandable otherwise. Because most of the stuff I find in my mailbox is trash. But of course it’s not just trash, it’s three kinds of trash: recycle, file, and shred trash. It all must be sorted appropriately.

So, I take the stack out of the box, excited that maybe there’s something of worth. Mostly I sort it over my outdoor recycle bin, toss the stuff that’s junk and then keep the things that are either promising, mysterious, or known shreddable material (e.g., credit card offers, bills that have already been paid).

The stack (mysterious envelopes excluded, which are normally disappointing anyway) get dropped on my coffee table until the it either gets overwhelming, I feel guilty about how messy my living room is, or I’m looking for a distraction.

Despite this experience, I continue this never ending routine. I know that the U.S. Postal Service is having problems, so maybe one day I won’t have to worry about my awkward relationship with mail. Even still, when the day comes that U.S. Mail is discontinued, I wonder if I’ll just pathetically check the always empty mailbox, if I even have a mailbox.