The Forgotten Courier
How..... faceless it appears, when all the expectations of the recipient reside on the "contents"-- and not their worthy container.
Why have these forgotten couriers gone so unsung for so long? We never hear, "the envelope is in the mail." It seems it’s only the check inside that counts.
But how do we fail to acknowledge that without the envelope--no check, or driver’s license, or love letter or dozens of other of life’s desirables--would ever reach our home or even our neighborhood.
Yet, here is this eager vessel, this reliable servant in our commercial service, attentive to command, ever ready for additional tours of duty and, frequently as not, sent scurrying to distant places with scant attention to the perils of the journey and no hint of appreciation for it’s efforts.
Was the Pony Express anything more than a galloping envelope of sorts? Hardly, but we fantasize about how it made its way hither and yon and deposited the mail on time at the designated place. So, too, does the envelope, which to this day has yet to earn a storied place in the history of this nation.
Air Force test pilots risk life and limb to "push the envelope" in the sky and hurl their chariots against the unknown, testing the limits of their craft. What say you about the envelope, with diploma tucked inside, that was the "ticket," for every one of these dauntless souls, into their very first cockpit? We hear nothing of this.
Must we, in the envelope fraternity, be satisfied repeating the sad litany of Rodney Dangerfield’s, "I get no respect"? Never, we say! Now is the time to celebrate the magic of the envelope that brings news from a friend, keeps us current with our checks and balances, brings food for thought and is the connective tissue of our contemporary civilization.
Where mightier does a man stand than in a resume of his accomplishments? How many careers have been launched by the simple process of mailing the requested curriculum vitae to a perspective employer? How mighty then is the envelope?
Without the protection of an envelope to guard her secrets, would Madame Curie have found the cure? Would the Gettysburg address have gotten as far as Pittsburgh? Is it possible that a letter of peaceful intent never reached the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s for want of an envelope?
The pen may be mightier than the sword, but what good would it be without an envelope to messenger the brilliant barbs of a witty mind? Betty Davis is celebrated for her starring role in, "The Letter." No mention of, "The Envelope."
Only one resolution can address the wrongs and slights suffered by the ubiquitous envelope these many decades of inattention, and that would be a unanimous resolution to declare NATIONAL ENVELOPE DAY, making it an "official" observance of the American Envelope Industry, in recognition of the redoubtable envelope’s vital role in the world of everyday communication.
And now, as on OSCAR NIGHT, let’s all applaud the real star of this piece and ask for..."The Envelope, please."
