I love checking our mailbox. Randy knows I love checking the mail so much that he says he’s “not allowed” to check it, but really it’s because he’s being nice to me.
I think I’ve always liked to check the mail. I have vivid memories from my youth of walking down our driveway to the mailbox and wondering what interesting things the mailbox held. Would there be a new issue of “Glamour” magazine for my older sister? Would there be a letter from my Lola (grandmother in English) in the Philippines? The possibilites were mindboggling.
When we go on vacation and have friends collect our mail, they always comment on the sheer volume of mail that Randy and I receive. “You got at least one package everyday!” has often been remarked to us. We also get stacks and stacks of catalogs. (There’s nothing like browsing through a catalog and turning down the corners of interesting pages.) Lately it’s been mostly bills and magazines, but magazines are fun too! Also, I order prints from our digital camera from York Photo so sometimes there could be pictures in our mailbox, and who doesn’t like to look at pictures?
Honestly, going into the post office, finding our little box and turning the key is one of the most exciting parts of my day. No, it’s not because my life is really pathetic, it’s because checking the mail is like opening a present every day; I don’t know what’s in there and it could be something good. Someone may have sent me a Hallmark card for no special reason but “just because.” Someone might have written me a letter or sent a check. My latest issue of “Cottage Living” or “Real Simple” might have arrived. That crazy thing I ordered off of QVC might be there. Who knows??
I am sure that there are others who share this small joy as I do, who cherish the moment of discovery. Checking the mail can be that one moment in the day when I forget about the mortgage and my job and the dirty dishes, and I get that small taste of childlike wonder at the possibilities. It’s just instead of reaching for a brass ring, I turn a little brass key to make the magic happen.