WE MAY NEED TO BRING IT BACK
Look, I’m not going to sit here and lecture you about something that I really have no standing to. In all honesty, every time I go to pick up a package at my front desk, I walk by my little mailbox on the way over and roll my eyes. My roommate and I always joke about it: who would send us letters in this day and age, and for what reason? It seemed so stupid, and we laughed even more whenever our moms told us we had to check “just in case.”
That was until, I got a phone call the other day from one of my friends back home. I kid you not, he was practically on the verge of tears talking about this girl he was head over heels for. I mean, this is the kind of yearning we all aspire to have for ourselves one day. He told me he had written her a letter in which he completely poured out all of his thoughts and feelings. It was relieving to get it out on paper, but he was so scared to actually give it to her. He eventually did, though, and said it felt good to do so.
This got me thinking: why don’t we write each other letters anymore? I mean of course with the growth of technology, it’s so much easier to just send a quick text to communicate something. That’s the age we live in.
Yet, hearing about my friend’s story reminded me of the sincerity of letter writing. To actually put pen to paper and think about what you’re writing is something special. It shows that you care about a person, and I believe that it gives extra meaning and importance to the words you’re writing. Yes, it might not be the most efficient, but it makes up for in significance what it may lack in timelines.
Think about it like this: it’s so simple and quick to text your friends and family that you love them at night; it’s not even something you have to think about. A letter expressing your love for someone isn’t just saying “Love ya!”, it’s saying “I love you.”
Personally, if I get a letter from someone, I’m expecting either a thank you card or horrible news. That’s probably something we should change. No, we don’t live in the 1700s (and thank goodness for that), but we can learn a thing or two from our ancestors
Now whether you agree or disagree is completely up to you. But I ask that you give it a try. Because when someone puts that much effort into expressing their affinity towards another, their reaction can’t be that bad. The girl my friend is head over heels for? She’s pretty impressed now, and honestly way more inclined towards him than I’ve ever seen her before. And as for my friend? He feels so much better, and he might just have gotten the girl.
So the next time you walk past your little mailbox, maybe just take a quick look. Maybe even mail a letter yourself, or invest in some stamps. It’s going to take time, and definitely more than just one person (me), but I believe that letter-writing can and will come back in full swing.