Dear Editor,
The other day I walked out to the mailbox late in the afternoon when the mail usually arrives.
On the way out there, I tried to remember the last time I received a traditional letter. It’s been a long time. For at least a decade, I’ve received only junk mail and bills.
Of course, I receive e-mails and once in a while there’s something interesting on Facebook. Facebook is akin to being perpetually trapped in small talk at a party.
You may have already guessed that I absolutely, positively refuse to tweet. Anything that must be expressed in 140 characters or less seems too trivial to read. God that sounds pretentious, but I confess that’s how I feel.
As for the other, newer forms of social media, they have passed me by.
When I was serving in Quetta, Pakistan, in 1983, the internet was very new and almost nonexistent in that part of the world. International telephone calls had to be reserved in advance and calls could be arbitrarily and suddenly ended if a VIP needed to use the limited capacity on the Pakistani telephone system.
Telegrams were public and scary to receive. That left letters as the only dependable means of communication.
Even with letters, complications existed. The American embassy flew an American plane to Quetta from Islamabad periodically. When American planes weren’t flying, I could place letters and other outgoing communications in a sealed mailbag for commercial transportation to Islamabad.
Then the mail for the U.S. was placed in a diplomatic pouch for the U.S., where it was sorted by the State Department Pouch Room. Finally, mail for my wife would be carried by the U.S. Postal Service to Lawton, Oklahoma, and mail for my parents would travel to Niles.
Return mail would follow the same path in reverse.
If I sent a letter on the first of the month, a reply would arrive in Quetta about the last day of the month. In our environment of instant communications, that seems to be so 19th century. Of course, it was.
On the other hand, imagine the thought that was poured into letters going each way. There was little of today’s “off-the-top-of-your-head” musings. Everything was measured, possibly even re-written at least once. Besides important information, feelings were better expressed because the time interval was so long before a reply could be received.
A letter was important.
Today, except for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and individual birthdays, an ordinary letter in the mailbox from a family member or friend might elicit a feeling of dread. In some ways, it might be received like a telegram 30 years ago and earlier would have been received. What bad news did it contain?
I think that’s sad.
I hope in vain that letter writing might make a comeback. Instead of “off-the-top-of-your-head” musings conveyed over instantaneous media, it would be so enjoyable to read something well thought out in advance. I suppose I hope without much chance of ever seeing many personal letters.
In the meantime, I’ll read letters that begin, “Congratulations, you’ve won…” I still hope for a letter full of good news and warm thoughts.

Sincerely,
Michael Waldron

P.S. I am a part of that vanishing generation that can still write in cursive, although I prefer to compose on a computer. I guess I have a foot in two worlds.

Michael Waldron is a retired lieutenant colonel, U.S. Army, who was born and raised in Niles. He previously served on the Niles Community School Board of Education. He can be reached at ml.waldron@sbcglobal.net.