The world we live in today revolves around various modes of instantaneous communication. If our communication isn’t successfully accomplished through a text or direct message, then it surely occurs in the form of an email or over a quick phone call. Furthermore, people have no need for notebooks when they can vigorously type away on their glowing laptops, digitally sign legal documents using online programs, send virtual invitations through Facebook and send greeting cards through apps on their phones.
Courtesy: Fancygals.com
Now I know that I’m a bit old school, but there’s something so personal and satisfying about sending someone a handwritten letter. I can remember back to when I was just about ten years old and I would write letters about my week to my grandma. Sure, she only lived a few hours away and she was easily reachable by phone, but it was something special that I could surprise her with every few weeks that featured the latest elementary school playground gossip. I was able to sit down and really ponder everything that I wanted to tell her about while also being completely candid and detailed with what I wrote.
What’s even better is receiving a letter or card in snail-mail form from someone else. Something that is always particularly fascinating to me when I receive mail is the person’s handwriting. I basically have a whole mental filing cabinet of different people’s handwriting stored in my mind. From my grandma’s handwriting that displays small, careful letters that are shaky in stroke, to my boyfriend’s print that features Y’s that curl like lowercase G’s and R’s that always link with the following letter, to my dad’s writing that appears as an all-caps chicken scratch that he surely inherited from my grandpa. All of these signature handwritings will forever be recognizable and comforting to read for me and they will always symbolize the person they belong to.
More than anything, it’s nice to know that someone sat back and thought about you that day. As a Resident Assistant at Florida State University, I always make a point to write my residents cards when their birthdays roll around just to make them feel special and to ensure that they hear “happy birthday” from someone. It’s amazing how being thoughtful and writing someone a letter can truly lift their spirits so drastically. Writing letters and cards really allows you to sit and reflect on who you’re writing to. Whether you are writing to a family member to wish them congratulations or you’re writing to a friend with the purpose of cheering them up through a rough time, a letter is a perfect way to express your feelings when a quick text or phone call just isn’t enough. It’s something that can be intimate and personalized to you and you can even choose cute stationary to write it on. I’ll admit that I, myself, have spent way too much time wandering the stationary and craft sections of the store, but a few good places to start looking for some stationary are Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Target (the $1 section of course) and Michael’s.
I hope that I’ve inspired some of you to shut down your laptops for a bit and to reach out to the ones who you appreciate the most. Happy letter writing!