A Love Letter Revival

Love letters need a revival. It's been over a year since I received my last, and in this fast-paced, technology-crazed society, I would assume it'll be some time before I see one addressed to me again.

I have some lovely pen pals, and living across the country from my family and friends, it seems almost necessary to implement snail mail from time to time. It's a beautiful form of communication regardless of what your intentions are, but I don't know what it is, Valentine's Day on my mind, love bug in the air or what, but a good old fashion love letter is what I'm missing.

I recognize that writing a love letter is a risky deal. You are making a statement that's assumed to be more serious since pen and paper is involved. This is because letters entail a sense of permanency, and that's a word that tends to freak people out. You can't delete it like a text message, push it to the side, then, poof, it's gone. You can throw it away, but dang, that's harsh. And if you reply, you're seemingly accepting the seriousness of the conversation, which again, can freak people out. I've done it and heard absolutely nothing back, and though I adore love letters, I sure as hell question that one. Accept that it's a risky deal is essential to keeping your sanity beforehand. There's also no rule I'm aware of that says you must actually send what you have written. Sometimes it's just as nice to get the words out there, and then keep them for yourself.

From what I recall, to this day I have been written eight love letters by five different hands, and I would be lying if I said I remembered every one of those romances with total clarity. I don't know every circumstance in which they were given, if the feelings were fully reciprocated, or where half of those letters are today, but I remember the people who gave them to me. I remember because they made an impact. By simply taking the time to write down how they felt, to try and express such intangible things with words, they showed me that they cared. In reflecting on each of these people, I realize the letter was a turning point in our relationship, good or bad, and that I didn't always take the time to acknowledge that.

Sure, some of them were conniving -- I haven't exactly experienced a fairy tale of a love life. Ranging from an "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your birthday" to a "I know I have a girlfriend, but..." these letters have a tendency to be messy, but ostensibly, that's part of their charm. They can be heartfelt and long or short and full of sweet nothings. They can be sad and serious or sweet and flirtatious, no matter what they are individualized to the writer and the subject.

If you have a love letter circling around in your brain or heart, I urge you to put it to paper. I don't know about you, but there's nothing in this world I value more in my relationships then effort towards openness and honesty, and what's a better way to do that then writing down how you feel. You'll never know all the good it can bring unless you try it.