By Abbey Edmonson
I was on my way home last week when I stopped by my mailbox and decided to check it. Inside, I found a letter addressed to one of my roommates. Being the snoopy person I am, I looked to see who it was from. (No, I didn’t open it; I just took a gander at the return address.) Her boyfriend, who lives in Tennessee, had sent her a hand-written love letter!
Obviously, I’d never felt more single in my life, but I also was extremely happy for my friend. When I handed the letter to her, her face lit up. Long distance relationships can be extremely difficult, so this small extra effort made all of the difference to her.
Back in the day, love letters were the only way to communicate with a loved one from a distance. There’s just something special about reading the words of that certain someone in their own handwriting. It shows that they were thinking about you enough to pick up a pen and voice their thoughts. You just can’t recreate that authenticity via email or text. Even FaceTime somehow feels less genuine than a physical letter that you can save and go back to. My mom actually has a stack of letters sent between my grandparents from when they were in college.
With the rising popularity of Netflix’s new movie, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, I’m predicting a big love letter comeback. Maybe I’m just hoping for it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to feel like Laura Jean or be their own Peter Kavinsky?
Even though I don’t have that special someone, I strongly believe that people should revive the love letter trend. It’s simple, and it’s classic. With the rise of technology, it can be difficult to effectively convey emotions.
Ladies and gents, I’m not asking for much. It doesn’t even have to be a super lovey-dovey or gushy letter. Just pick up the pen and write about what you did that day. Did you go to the grocery store? Tell her about it! Did you find a lucky penny on the sidewalk? Describe it to him! Just the fact that you made that small effort will brighten his or her day, no matter the content.