Recently, I stepped into my college town’s post office where I needed to purchase stamps, since I had run out in the middle of the week. After I got back to my room, I realized something. I am a college student who still writes letters. It is not a habit that college students get in to. Although, a lot of us are still trying to make ourselves feel at home with our schools, and we tend to miss old-school gestures. We are in a generation that causes students to be glued to their phone, even though we don’t keep in touch with a lot of people we thought we would. Most can barely wait five minutes for a text, never mind a few days for a letter in the mail. I have learned throughout my college career that any type of mail is usually worth the wait.

Before moving into college my freshman year, I relied on a family mailbox to receive mail that was actually addressed to me, and only me. It was never every single day as much as I wanted it to. Most of the mail my family gets, as any family does, are the bills, the catalogs and advertisement postcards no one wants to look through, and sometimes cards from friends and family.

Yes, it’s so nice to get a Halloween card from your aunt, or a valentine’s day treat from your Grandfather, but still, the whole family receives cards like that. It is not just to you sometimes. So, when I came to college, I suddenly realized I would have my own mailbox. My own little “tunnel” to hear from family and friends. College can make you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, and there are times where you wonder what life is like for the ones you keep in touch with.

I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about getting a handwritten letter that makes getting your mail so much more special. I know that whatever I get in my mailbox usually relates to campus mail or mail from home. I don’t have to worry about getting bills from the house, or getting so excited to open a letter to find out it’s actually for my sibling. You have no idea how happy a family member or friend can make a college student when they receive a handwritten letter from them, asking them questions such as how school is going, what the weather is like, and if you are getting enough sleep. Some of the letters I get are even longer than two pages of printer paper, which means whoever wrote to me actually took the time to write their feelings and to keep me updated on what’s going on in their life. This is why I write letters.

I want to give away the same joy I feel when I receive a letter. I want the ones I love to make sure they know I was thinking about them one day and want to know how they were doing. It’s better than being impatient over a text you wait all week for. It’s better to give a surprise through someone’s mail box than just another text in their inbox. It’s different, it’s heart-warming, and it’s thoughtful. Don’t be afraid to be old fashioned. We need students that still write to loved ones because it is slowly fading away. If you have the time or want to make the time to write, do it. Believe me, the person receiving that letter will appreciate the thought of you keeping in touch in this way. Their day will be a lot better because of you, I guarantee it.

That reminds me: time to write some letters…