The Value of Postage

I'll be completely honest, I don't even know (without looking it up) what the price of a single postage stamp costs these days. I haven't really paid much attention when buying a book of them, and therefore, just do not know.

I do know, however, that the value of a postage stamp, in my opinion, is worth much more than say, 47 cents or whatever it is that you pay.

(Though, as a sidenote, I believe that there is no value in postage if it is being used to pay bills. I feel like companies who overcharge you (as most do) for their services and then expect you to not only write a check or money order and pay an extra amount just to mail it back to them (because heaven forbid they have an online or telepay option) should definitely pay for the postage themselves and send you an envelope that is prepaid. Yeah, that's how I feel.)

I'm sitting here at home, eating some chocolate peanut butter ice cream, having just finished going through the mail that we received today. In our box was a wonderful surprise, a hand-written letter from my younger brother, who is at basic training for the National Guards. Now, granted, his handwriting sucks and some of it is barely legible, but it is a treasure, nonetheless.

There's something about opening up the mailbox, sorting through all the junk, and finding a piece of actual correspondence, from an actual person (let alone one you know and love), written in his or her actual handwriting that just makes the heart smile (not to mention the face)!

I can't lie and tell you that I'm great at staying on top of handwriting correspondence, nor do I send out letters to my family and friends at the rate that I used to, especially when I lived at home in a small town, or was at camp during the summer and had little connection with everyone, but I do take pride in the fact that I do, from time to time, manage to get a piece of "snail mail" out there into the world. While I haven't been told by everyone who receives a handwritten morsel of thoughtful goodness that they really appreciate the gesture, I do believe that the recipients enjoy the letters when they arrive.

It's kind of sad to think that the internet, cell phones and text messages have almost wiped out the art of letter-writing in our younger generations, but, alas, it seems to be true. I just hope this artform doesn't completely vanish any time soon.

I guess in closing, I'll just say that if you feel like being truly generous, buy a few stamps, spend a few minutes writing down your thoughts, pack them in an envelope, seal, address, and mail. I wouldn't complain the least if it were me that were the chosen recipient, either.