Being thousands of miles away from the United States, I’m always reassured when I receive a little piece of home every now and again. Sometimes, this small surprise comes in the form of an unexpected Facetime. Other times, it’s received as a quick vibrating buzz from my phone, notifying me that a friend or family member wanted to know how my semester is going. Despite the fact that I’m an ocean away from the people that make home all that it is, being reassured that others are still invested in maintaining our friendships resonates with me more than they know.

But, upon being abroad, I’ve realized the underestimated importance of what it means to handwrite a note. I think that being raised in this generation means prioritizing the communication that is most efficient. Oftentimes, this results in defaulting to a text, email, Facebook message, or video chat. Though these modes of communication have their undeniable benefits, they also eliminate an element of intimacy.

While recently writing a postcard to a close friend in a different country, I came to the absurd realization that they probably didn’t know what my handwriting looked liked. If the photograph indicating the origin of the postcard was removed, and if I eliminated my signature, the mere sight of my handwriting probably wouldn’t resonate with them.

How crazy is that?

People whom I consider my closest friends may not recognize something as personal, subjective, and indicative as my handwriting. In sending a heartfelt text, there’s an air of sentiment that is diluted in the standard Times New Roman, 12-point font of iMessage.

When considering the concept of a hand-written postcard or letter, people tend to immediately default to the primitive days before texting and video chatting. Taking the time to sit down, put deliberate thought into a letter, get the address, put a stamp on the envelope, and travel all the way to the mailbox seems utterly unnecessary. However, simply knowing the mindful effort that went into the production of a handwritten letter increases its sentiment tenfold.

Though the content may not contrast between what would be said via text and what would be said via postcard, it is the cognitive decision to compose a handwritten letter that makes it as special as it is.