I happen to find letters very beautiful. I like the way you can see someone's thoughts and feelings about what is going in the world written down on the page. I like how you can see where the writer gets passionate about what she's saying -- maybe she pressed a little to hard and bled some extra ink onto the page. I like looking at signatures and thinking that a name crafted in ink actually encompasses an entire person. Letters are revealing.
Out in the world today, people hardly ever write legitimate letters anymore. It seems as though handwriting is disappearing into the background as just another thing students need to know. More and more students take notes on laptops, send each other texts, communicate via email and talk to people from home over Skype. I am guilty of all of these things -- technology as a form of communication has become extremely effective when one considers how it has been able to efficiently connect people no matter where in the world they are. However, I still write letters.
One thing I love to do is sit at my desk and for really no reason at all, craft a letter that consists of memories, what I'm feeling or thinking at that exact moment, or an idea I had of something I'd like to do in the future -- a lot of everything. Sometimes even if I don't have much to say, just having the pen in my hand and the paper beneath it is enough of an encouragement to start writing. Once I've said all I could fit on my paper or stationary, I send it off to one of the few people I exchange letters with. I don't send a warning text or anything like, "Hey I just wrote you a letter!" because I like it to be a surprise. I know that the feeling I get when I see an unexpected note in my mailbox is one of excitement and joy that someone thought enough of me to take the time to write me something. I have boxes of letters that go years back -- letters are tangible things that can remind you that someone loves you, and are good for cheering yourself up when you're feeling down.
This is why I think we should save letter writing, and encourage people to do it more. The positive feelings of receiving a letter are so unexpected, but they last. I know everyone has had this feeling, too. If you are ever feeling bored, defeated or have time to kill, write a letter. Expressing yourself on paper and sharing that with someone is a precious thing to do because you are trusting them with the emotions you have laid out on the page. I hope that we do not lose letter writing and the simple joy it brings.
