It dawned unto me this morning, the real reason why we love online shopping so much. Yes there are the obvious benefits like convenience, shopping from the comforts of your home, good deals, home delivery, borderless purchase and the list goes on. But I think the real reason comes down to 3 words…You’ve got mail!

How many of us remember the anticipation and joy of opening our letterboxes to find a letter from our pen-pals? In fact you might have been waiting for weeks for that letter because your penpal resides half way across the globe. I remember having a penpal from Canada when I was in primary school and I had to wait 1-2 months each time before I even receive a reply. Nowadays the only thing we find when we open our letterboxes are bills, property flyers, bank statements and well more bills. Hardly a good enough reason to anticipate or be joyful.

And its not like we don’t receive ‘letters’ or ‘notes’ from across the globe, we most definitely do! Except it doesn’t take much effort to send or receive one, in fact you could send or receive several in just a few minutes. Which in my opinion, pretty much diminishes its value. I remember reading and re-reading my penpal’s letters because they were so far and few between and I waited so long for one.

Which brings me back to my reason on why I think we love online shopping. At least for me, its the only means I have to receive decent mail. Mail which I would ‘patiently look out for each day as I open my letterbox or as I await for that parcel delivery from the postman. Mail that is addressed to me which I can tear open and hold in my hands, even if the contents are not really a ‘surprise’. Perhaps a little sad but very much the reality.

This has also got me thinking that our children will perhaps never really know the joys of writing a letter to a friend on a letter pad, mailing it out with an envelope and stamp and waiting for a reply via a physical letter box. Instead of setting up an email account to ‘archive’ all their photos as some are doing now and handing over the account and password to them when they are older. Maybe it might make more sense for me to start writing letters to them, real letters. Or maybe better yet, I will be their penpal.

Yes! One day when they are ready to read and write a letter, I will write, seal and mail out my first letter to them. I will encourage them to write and mail back a reply. I will be their pen-pal.  I want them to know the joy of receiving a real letter truly meant for them and the experience of putting their thoughts and feelings down on paper with a pen. Much like the joy their mummy derives from online shopping and blogging now minus technology. 🙂

JahBella’s Mummy