“Return to Sender” was emblazoned across the front of a personal letter that found its way back to my mailbox. I verified the information and came to the conclusion that everything on my end was correct: the address, the postage, and more than adequately legible handwriting, though I’ve been known to provide worse. Of course, the fact the correspondence inside the envelope was hot off the press and would not age well with time, played into my frustration.

Undaunted, I sacrificed a fresh stamp, made out a new envelope, and took special pains to insure all was perfect. I even discar...