Benefits of Snail Mail

In this age of technology and instant gratification, the art of some of the formerly considered "finer things" in life seems to be dying out. More specifically, the age of emailing has all but completely replaced the joy of postal letter writing and delivery. Referred to as "snail mail" by many due to its relative slowness in comparison with the instant speed of email, old fashion letter writing is an art lost on many people. While emailing loved ones is inarguably cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and faster, there are certain hidden joys to snail mail that emailing can never truly replace. This past summer my friends and I decided to try a little "snail mail" project and through that experience I regained an increased appreciation for letter writing.

Receiving a snail mail letter causes recipients to feel very special and loved. Perhaps the instantaneity of emailing has also caused us to consider snail mail as more thought out and carefully scribed than emails, if only for the reason that it takes longer for us to receive. Either way, most people will enjoy the feeling of getting an actual piece of paper with your sentiments written on it through the postal service. It speaks of the care with which you theoretically wrote your statements and shows that you even considered your words carefully enough to hopefully justify the cost you spent on sending the letter-whatever the current price of postage stamps may be.

Another great benefit of actual letter mail is that you can leave a "little bit of yourself" with each letter. For one of my friends over this summer this meant sprinkling glitter into each envelope before she sent it. (She was an elementary education major and was always working on craft projects, so we all automatically would connect showers of glitter with thoughts of her.) I have another friend who always illustrates her letters with little cartoon drawings, something that is far easier and more convenient to do on paper than on the computer for most people. There's also the added traditional "romantic" addition to letter writing-spraying the paper with a splash of your own cologne or perfume. One of my own favorite aspects to personalizing letter writing is the variations that can be provided in stationary options. From recycled paper letters to trendy fashion stationary, the options are virtually endless. Additionally, homemade stationary screams "I was thinking of you!" which is a great message to send to a friend.

Overall, while emailing will most likely continue to prevail in popularity over old fashion snail mail letter writing, the benefits of the older method of communication should not be overlooked. Instead, these advantages should be recognized and appreciated by those who realize the beauty of receiving actual paper letters through their trusty postal service.