Wouldn’t it be wonderful to check your mailbox and, instead of a window envelope or one addressed to “resident,” there was a coloured envelope with your name handwritten on the front in ink?
While I love the fact that I can – at 2am or 6pm – send a message to a friend across the world, I am saddened by the fact that I no longer write or receive billet doux from friends or lovers. My handwriting, which used to be excellent, has deteriorated to something that at times, I can barely read.
So gentle readers, let’s bring back handwritten thank you notes and love letters. I have some suggestions and some stories from others who still, yes still, write letters. There are not many out there, but there are a few.
Let me introduce you to Helen. Helen not only writes letters often, she uses a fountain pen, AND she has a different kind of paper for each recipient of her letters. I am writing to her, so I can see what kind of paper I might receive in return.
Then there’s Terry. Terry comes from a large family; she and her sisters have corresponded with each other for years. They also keep all the letters. Imagine being able to look back at our history from another’s loving perspective over the years.
The other story that delighted me was about author John Kralik, who, at a very low point in his life, decided to say thank you every day for something – sometimes it was something big, often something very small.
Reviving the art of letter writing will require some thought; you will need an address, postal code, and yes, you will need stamps. Stamps! They are so expensive, and it will take several days for the letter to arrive at its destination.
We are not going for speed, we are going for love.
Yes, we are sending thank you notes and love letters to as many people as we can think of and hopefully what will happen is that love letters and thank you notes will come flowing back into your mailbox.
Send them to close friends, family, friends you haven’t spoken to in years; people who do something kind for you for no reason. You can even become a pen pal to a stranger from another part of the world.
Go all out, get a fountain pen, some classy note paper and have fun with it. Let me know how it works out.
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Pat Nichol is a speaker and published author. Connect with her at mpatnichol@gmail.com.