Snail-Mail: the antiquated art of putting an item in an envelope, affixing a stamp and dropping it in the mailbox for the postman to deliver to the intended recipient.

In today’s fast-paced world of emails, text messages and cell phones, I recently discovered, among some members of the younger generation, snail mail is quite the mystery.

The other day, members of our teen board came over to help with a mailing project.  We spent the first fifteen minutes of our time together talking about how to address an envelope, where to place the stamp, etc.  Much to my surprise, some of them have never personally completed such a task.  When probing further (as I’m sure you can imagine my shock, surprise, and curiosity) they admitted writing thank-you notes, but then passing off the note to a parent for addressing and mailing.

I don’t think any of us know what the future holds for snail mail… will it someday be replaced by electronic communication?  I hope not.  In my opinion, the joy of receiving a handwritten note (or invitation) in the mail is a special gift that cannot be replaced by technology or email.

So in the meantime, show the young person in your life how we used to do it in the ‘olden days’; teach them to address an envelope and affix a stamp.

We make the process fun in our house:

Magic markers… and yes, I step aside and let him do his thing

He’s responsible for putting the note in the envelope:

Licking the envelope:

I put an ‘x’ marks the spot (just in case)

At this stage, I address it for him… much to his chagrin, I don’t think the postman can decipher his ‘writing’.

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

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Everybody loves technology, right?

Don’t be so sure …

While in today’s day and age, many of us have grown accustomed to communicating via the ‘workhorse’ of modern technology, the text messaging device; but remember, not everyone is as ‘technologically advanced’ as you are.

Case in point:

Last week, my friend Vonne (who is NOT ashamed to admit that she has yet to board the ‘texting bandwagon’) received a relatively un-important, but timely text message on her phone.  Nothing really dramatic happened after that, she simply missed the text and an opportunity.  The following day she stumbled upon the missed message and realized she could have joined her friends and their kids at Pelican Bay.

Not a huge deal, but the lesson is this:

The ‘Field of Dreams’ analogy of  “If you build it, they will come,” doesn’t always apply.  Just because you send a text message, that doesn’t mean the person actually read it, or has a plan to cover the charges.  Consider your recipient.  Are you sure that person sends and receives texts?  If you are not, consider picking up your messaging device and make a good old-fashioned phone call.

Please visit my post ‘What is Manner Monday?’ to learn more about how to make the most of Manner Monday. Do you have a ‘manner’ you would like to see covered on Manner Monday?  Feel free to send me your thoughts.

And, of course, please share ‘Manner Monday’ with your friends and colleagues. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter and receive ‘Manner Monday’ in your inbox, please enter your email address in the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ box on the right.

Thank you for reading Manner Monday!