If you’re like me, hearing the words “handwritten letter” makes you cringe. After all, you’re probably thinking of the thank-you notes that your mother made you write to all of your relatives after your birthday party…every year. Recently, though, I have come to appreciate the art of stationery and the personalization of handwriting. Now, I enjoy writing letters by hand more than I like using Facebook!
It all started when I received a package from a sorority sister from another school that contained event t-shirts, a stuffed animal, and a note. I wanted to properly thank her, but before I could sit down and write her a note, I realized something crucial to the process: I didn’t own a single piece of stationery. That day, I spent about an hour scouring the local Ann Arbor boutiques in search of cute stationery, so you can imagine my excitement when I walked into Middle Earth and there was an entire wall of it! The stationery I purchased looked like vintage Polaroid photos, and each card had a different photo. Although that stationery is long gone (I’ve used two full boxes of stationery since November!), I still have the box, since it reminds me of the beginning of my letter-writing crusade.
Around the same time (this past October), a few girls and I decided to start a sorority pen-pal program, so I just picked some names and addresses from the pen-pal list and wrote away. I love being able to express myself in writing and send photos, and I know that the recipients enjoy seeing and reading my cards.
As much fun as it has been to write letters by hand, receiving letters has been even better. I now come home to a handwritten letter at least three times a week! Each card always holds something different, which keeps the letter writing exciting. Sometimes, there are photos enclosed; other times, the penmanship is perfect. Writing letters by hand has shown me that taking the time away from Facebook or Gmail to be more personal can have a tremendous influence on strengthening friendships—and, in my case, creating them.