Have you ever watched The Notebook? If so, you have probably thought to yourself, “Whatever happened to handwritten letters?” While Ryan Gosling’s character in the movie writes 365 letters to Allie for every day they were apart, in reality, handwritten letters are a rarity. Today, we can send a text instantly instead of waiting days or weeks for a physical reply, but handwritten letters and notes still have value in a world where efficiency often comes first.Â
Before leaving campus last week, my friends left me some handwritten notes, and it really warmed my heart. Whether they wrote something silly or sweet, those notes reminded me how much my friendships mean and how people express care in different ways.Â
A big part of life is loving others and expressing that love openly. What better way to remind someone how much they mean to you than through a handwritten note that they can keep and go back to whenever they need a reminder?Â
When you receive a handwritten letter, it becomes more than just a message; the handwriting itself becomes an act of love. Someone took the time to sit down and write something for you, whether it is a short reminder or a long letter. That physical letter also lives beyond the short moment in which it was written. One day, the recipient may tuck it away for safekeeping and find it again, years and years later, to revisit the love once shared with them. Through handwritten letters, love lives on past its moment in time.Â
Letters can also allow you to express yourself in language beyond the constraints of texting. When texting, whether you are aware of it or not, you are following an unspoken format. Typically, texts are short and straightforward, sharing spur-of-the-moment thoughts or small updates. When writing a letter, you are forced to slow down and think about what you are telling the recipient. Instead of basic language that best fits the conventions of texting, your creativity is engaged, and your thoughts begin unfolding on the page in ways texting rarely allows.Â
Ultimately, handwritten letters communicate in a more personal way that makes both the sender and recipient slow down and appreciate the thoughts being shared. While texts are easy and efficient, physical letters can outlive the moment and continue to remind the recipient how much they are loved.Â
So where do you start? Sit down with a piece of paper, a pencil, and just start. Don’t convince yourself it has to be perfect. All you need to do is start.  You don’t have to be an overachiever like Ryan Gosling in The Notebook, either. It doesn’t take 365 letters to remind someone they’re loved. All it takes is one.