Sometimes I ran. Other times, I skipped. More often than not, I had to walk slowly as I pushed a younger sibling in a stroller. Where was I headed you ask?

It was just a short walk down the block to complete an errand for our mom. She was a big believer in the written word and was diligent about writing letters to family and friends. Mom also taught us the importance of taking time to write letters or thank-you notes.

So my short walk was to the neighborhood mailbox. Remember those? The one on our tree-lined street was at the corner of Hamilton and Homestead avenues, in front of the McKays’ homestead.

The mailbox was one of those smaller box-types situated on a pedestal, not a large, squatty one you can find near stores or in shopping plazas. I took it as a great sign of maturity that Mom trusted me to take her letters and bills and drop them safely in the box. However, this task was only given to me once I was tall enough to reach the mail slot.

I was amazed that my mother would address the water bill payment as follows: Wheeling Water Department, City. Really that’s all she wrote on the envelope. She may have added the ZIP code when that was required but not always. Remarkably the payment must have reached its destination because I never recall our water being turned off.

Sometimes if I were at the mailbox at the right time, I would meet up with the postal worker who came to collect the mail out of the box. I was fascinated to watch him open the box and see how many letters or small parcels may be inside. He would load them into a well-worn leather satchel and then head off to deliver the bag to the post office. Usually this was at the end of his shift and among his last stops.

Now it’s rare to find a neighborhood public mailbox. In today’s modern, computerized, Internet-addicted world, the art of writing letters, sending postcards or writing checks to send in the mail are quickly fading into the sunset.

I personally enjoy my trip to the mailbox each day.

Even if it’s just bills or junk mail, at least I know the mail is still being delivered via real people, not computers.

So many things I grew up with no longer exist or are obsolete. I figure it won’t be long before writing a bank check to buy groceries or pay a bill will be a thing of the past, too.

I get it. Paying bills online or sending an email or text may be quicker, but it’s a lot less personal. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen many kids skipping anywhere, let alone to the mailbox. That’s too bad.

Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintellligencer.net.