Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds
Inscribed on the wall of New York City’s General Post Office Building, 1914
Dear America,
I was preparing some post today, some of which is destined for your distant shores (I am in Australia!), and for the first time in my life I wondered if it would arrive safely, if at all.
There are things I still send by post. Personal letters and cards, physical items, gifts. I have never given it much thought, this wonder by which I place a stamp upon a package, put it in a Post Box at the end of my street, after which, almost by magic, it finds its way to another part of my country, or another part of the world.
Some of my most treasured possessions have reached me by post. The postal service has allowed me to vote when I have not been able to attend in person, it has kept me informed and connected, it has enabled friends and family to reach me, it supports my purchase of products, and the sale of my own.
I have always taken it for granted. I had assumed it was an essential service. I was not surprised to learn that its agency within the United States of America is explicitly upheld by your Constitution. Why? A reliable postal service is essential for the very fabric of our societies.
There have been times when I have shaken my head in the past few years about what has been happening in your great country, but never did I imagine that the simple act of being able to send a letter or a parcel to someone in America could be under threat.
Your postal service links you to the rest of the world, and to each other. It’s democracy in action. It’s worth fighting for. I hope you do.
Love, optimism and prayers, Nicole x
