A Postal Secret

Go ahead.  Admit it.  You like a secret just as much as the next person.

Well I know one about a place GroveAtopians visit all the time.   The Post Office.

If you live in GroveAtopia, you probably recognize the two mail slots in this picture.  They are the only two mail slots at our local post office.

Notice that one slot says "Mail" and the other says "Out of Town."   Let's put aside for the moment that logic dictates that the one that says "Mail" probably should say "Local Mail" or "In town mail" or something similar.  I mean "Mail" is going into both slots.  And when you think about it you realize that if one of the categories of mail is "Out of Town" then the other should be "In Town."  "Mail" will go in both slots.  

But as I said, we will put that confusion aside for the moment because most of us just figure that if one slot means "Out of Town" mail goes in it the other must mean "In Town Mail."

And now for the secret.  Are you ready?

It makes no difference which slot you put the mail in!   

I will pause for a moment and let that sink in.

Now I know you have stood before those slots before and taken a moment or two to look at your mail and decide which slot it should go in.   But now that you know the secret you don't have to do that any more.  

You can just walk in and toss whatever mail you have in your hand into which ever slot strikes your fancy and get on with your day.  No pausing to wonder if your envelope addressed to someone in Dorena or Walker or Saginaw goes in the "Out of Town" slot or not.  

Wow!  

It turns out that all of GroveAtopia's mail goes to Eugene for sorting, so technically it all goes "Out of Town."   That means both slots could be marked "Mail" and it would make absolutely no difference.

So next time you mail something in those slots at the post office, enjoy the feeling of doing something that's against the rules and toss your mail into either slot.   You could even go crazy and toss one piece of mail in each slot, if you have enough mail.  Or how about putting your letter addressed to someone in town in the "Out of Town" slot?   That would be fun.

I think this is a pretty good secret, don't you?  Go ahead.  Pass it on and watch your friends as they react with disbelief.   And I won't tell anyone how much fun you are having.