Pride and Prejudice wonderfully depicts the intricacies of the written letter. From scenes of melodramatically crafting a letter with quill and ink to anxiously waiting for a response, the book (and its subsequent reimaginings) sometimes feels like a love letter to, well, letters. For every reason except maybe Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, I am grateful to be alive now and not in Jane Austen’s era. The need for the written letter has all but diminished, but I’d argue there’s still a place for it.
Over break, my mom graced me with the letters she wrote home in college. Together, we read about her freshman year woes from a tough biology class to a boy that she was obsessed with. I felt more connected to my mom after reading a first-hand account of her as a 18-year-old student adjusting to college with experiences not too different from my own. I also gained an appreciation of the bit of history her family held on to.
My mom’s letters home are an archive of her life; a glimpse into who she was at the time. They detail her switch from studying pre-med to history and picking up running; two things that would become instrumental in her life. I realized that I didn’t have an equivalent. I don’t email anyone except my professors, my texts with my best friends are not to be shared, and when I write in a journal it’s an embarrassing half-empty rant nobody should see.
Inspired by my mom’s college tales, I’ve started writing letters. The random things I want to text her (I had a good salad today, my tooth is randomly hurting again, insights from my history class) I keep in a notes app and save for my letter. Although I am robbed of the instant gratification of her response, I’ve found the process of sitting down to reflect on my week more satisfying.
I’ve been writing to other people in my life, too. I bought (probably too many) 99-cent postcards at the bookstore and have been sending short messages to my friends and family. Because of their limited space, postcards are the perfect medium to just say “hi” to loved ones without having to write hundred-word updates. Sending Washington and Seattle specific postcards to my family who live far away seems like sharing a small part of my experience here.
My hobby of letter-writing is hard to keep up with and sometimes frustrating (why does it take two weeks to get a piece of paper from Seattle to Chicago?) but ultimately worth it. While I don’t feel as regal as Elizabeth Bennet writing to Jane, my past-time has been a fun way to communicate with my far-away family that isn’t sending my sister 17 TikToks an hour.
Sending a fun postcard or greeting card is an invaluable way to connect and arguably way more exciting than opening a text or Instagram Reel. So, if you have a spare stamp and 15 minutes, try writing a letter.
