We're nearly there, crusaders. The weekend is so close it's practically here. How about we pass the time with a moment in history?
On this day in 1775, the U.S. Postal Service was established. Yes, nearly a year before the Declaration of Independence was officially ratified, we had a postal service. It's incredible, I know.
More than two centuries later, I think it's probably difficult for most of us to imagine a world where there wasn't always an easy way to communicate across great distances.
I shudder at the thought of some of today's texters attempting to navigate the postal service, which is, even all these years later, still the marvel it was at the beginning.
Odds are even if you're not putting pen to paper, you've ever ordered something online and likely benefited from the hard work of this essential institution.
With the number of emails, texts, and other electronic correspondences most of us send each day it's hard to imagine a world where dropping an envelope in a box was the primary form of long-distance communication. But I can't help but wonder if our world wouldn't benefit from the amount of thought that needs to be put into a letter.
Time and intention went into correspondence, it wasn't jotted down and distributed with little or no thought to its impact. If someone wrote you a nasty letter, you knew they meant it (and vice versa).
What a thought to consider today in our world of instant communication. The impact is the same the thought put into it...it's debatable.
So, as we head into the weekend, maybe marvel at the fact that you can send a message clear across the country for pennies. And even if you're not putting pen to paper for the occasion, take a moment to think about what message it is that you're sending.
...bi-daily smile...