You have been told you are loved through a text message. Hands down. I know this to be true. Why is it then, that I'm almost fairly positive, you have yet to receive an actual love letter? Anyone can snap you. Text you. Tweet you. Insta you. Facebook message you. Exempt maybe your grandma. She probably can't. Mine is still trying to figure out how Skype works and why she can only see her forehead staring back at her on the screen.
Regardless, I hope someone writes you a love letter. But better yet, I hope you start writing them. I sincerely hope you begin to construct an environment in which your relationships are able to flourish in such a way that the people you love begin to squander any bit of doubt that you do.
Maybe we need to stop being a group of people who prod and pick at what used to be and what should and could be in our lives, and begin to start giving to others the very things we so desperately desire from them. Here are 10 reasons we need to bring back love letters.
1. Witnessing the handwriting of someone else. Purposeful handwriting. Not the kind you see when you look over your left shoulder in accounting, wondering what Jeremy wrote for question seven. In a love letter, you're reading words that were picked and placed intentionally.
2. How great is it to see your name written at the top of a page, with the word "Dear" preceding it. Really cool.
3. Envelopes. Yes, these exist. You may have forgotten because you only receive them in fancy colors on Christmas and your birthday. They are generally accompanied with store bought cards and cheesy one liners written by relatives. These are acceptable and grinned at only because you now have a paper Andrew Jackson between your fingertips. Handwritten letters come with envelopes. And love, instead of an Andrew Jackson. Which is better. Every single time it is beyond better.
4. You're typically alone while reading them. It's nice to be told you are loved in person or in any way, truly. But when you're reading a letter you are in your own little space, sharing a moment with someone who isn't in the room, glimpsing into a bit of their heart, welcoming in their words.
5. The letter is to you. Period. The end.
6. It's tangible. You can hold them and read them, take them with you as proof and reminders. They act as small time capsules. They're more than simple gestures and words spewing from a mouth. They're permanent.
7. You can send them. Yes, in the mail. You put a stamp on the right side and you slip it to your mail man. Those blue boxes have slits in them. Slap some letters in there. Probably add an address though. Definitely add an address.
8. You get to choose. Whether you are receiving them or giving them, you get to choose what to say or how to respond. There is space between words. Process, absorb, think, consider, enjoy. Letters are thoughtful in both the creation and the response. Appreciate this space.
9. They're rare. Maybe by the time you read this, love letters will be spreading like wild fire. But if we're both honest with ourselves, we know this won't be the case. And for that, I'm grateful. I take pride in writing love letters because I write them to those I adore. The amount is few, and rightfully so. This makes them more valuable.
10. You can't take them back. Once you are given a love letter and once you personally give a love letter, there is no mistake in the hands that are now holding them. We don't write much on paper because words can't be deleted; the ink is there to say. Because of this, the words we choose to imprint are honest. Delight in this.
