Week Four Perspective: The Snail Mail Phenomena

Oh, the joy of receiving personal mail. I had forgotten the pleasure of receiving something totally unexpected from a friend, significant other, or family member in the mailbox. In fact, my cancer detour stirred in me, the memory of what I'm calling the "Snail Mail Phenomenon".

It was a day when I was suffering the “poor me’s” that I started to connect the dots. Despite my best efforts to reframe, I was deeply immersed in my self-pity. I was Schelprock from the Flintstones (link). It was a “Schleppy” kind of day. And true to this character, all I felt was “Woe is me.”.

Roaming aimlessly around the house I noticed the mail delivery person. With nothing of great importance occupying my mind, I sauntered out to pick up the post. Scanning though the bills and fliers, I came upon a blue envelope addressed to me. It was real mail. Surprisingly, my heart skipped a beat. From the handwriting, I knew it was from my mom. She has always had beautiful writing. I opened the card, and much to my delight, it was an inspirational card. My mood suddenly shifted and the rain clouds hanging over Schleppy disappeared.

Curious. I recalled feeling that way when I received Mike Doody's gift in the mail.

A couple of days later something similar occurred. This time it was a yellow envelope. Once again, I found my finger tracing the familiar writing. Closing my eyes, I saw my cousin Marion’s face. Eagerly, I opened the envelope. To my delight it was a lovely letter in an inspirational card. My mood soared - every feel-good hormone in my brain was shooting rockets.

The very next day, another personal letter arrived in the post This one had me stumped. I looked at the writing and couldn’t initially place the writing. My eyes glanced up to the upper left corner, where I spied the name "Allen". It was from Heidi and Mike! I couldn’t contain my excitement.

But these remarkable people didn't just send me one card. No. Mom, Marion, and Heidi have sent me multiple cards and each time my joy and gratitude deepens. Wow - Gotta love dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin - amazing brain juice.

Writing letters might seem like an out-of-date way to communicate when we have easy access to relatives and friends through text, email, FaceTime, and Zoom. Yet, snail mail has become a powerful way to connect with others. In research published in May 2020 by the United States Postal Service (USPS), 65% of people agreed that receiving mail lifted their spirits. People feel special and valued when they receive personal letters. I couldn't find the stats here in Canada, but I know from experience the power of mail.

Here is my take-away on the Snail Mail Phenomenon: My friends and family know something that I had forgotten - the power of a letter in the post. Thank you for teaching me this lesson. Later today, I'm heading to the post-office to buy some stamps and then off to the bookstore to buy a box of cards. Who knows, maybe you will be getting in a card in the mail from me. Oh boy, I've got some letter writing to do.