In this era of electronic communications, the art of writing a letter (or postcard) is often lost and forsaken. While texting, email, and blogging offer an instant gratification for both the sender and receiver, a well-written letter can be cherished for years.
Writing a letter with a fine pen and paper offers an opportunity to think, to reflect, to offer a glimpse of what’s important to the writer in a way that a 140 character tweet cannot. While it may be easy to say, “why spend so much time hand-writing a letter when an email will be fine,” think about how you feel when you receive a hand-written letter in the mail. The anticipation of what is in the envelope, the excitement of being the first to read the words from a friend or family member, and the knowledge that the letter will last as long as it is cared for… days, weeks, years, centuries.
It may not be fair to compare the personal letters sent by kings and queens, now-famous authors, or distant relatives to the text messages sent between friends in the modern day; it may be fair to say that the written word – scrawled simply and eloquently with paper and pen – has much more staying power and emotional depth. The time spent writing a letter by hand can show how much you care… about the subject of the letter, about the recipient, and even about your place in history.
Take time to write a letter to someone. Do more than dash off a line or two; really put your heart into it. Perhaps read it tomorrow, then slip it into an envelope, choose a fancy stamp, and send it along. You’ll be amazed at how good you will feel about it, and you’ll feel even better when a letter comes back to you.