to pull out a sheet of your hand-printed headed notepaper,
to write those first two words "Dear Friend",
and then to pause a while before letting the ink flow onto the page with tales of your doings and your worries,
to fold up the paper,
slip it into an envelope,
write the address out,
stick on the stamp,
drop it into the letter-box,
and then imagine the pleasure that your letter will bring,
the physical pleasure of opening it and reading it at the other end.
- ah, is this not happiness?
"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart."
~~ Phyllis Theroux
 |
| An old Sculpture by the Sea photo from 2007 taken at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. |
16 comments:
Letter writing is becoming a lost art.
Christine writing letter as an art IS lost. We type on screens but not write on paper. Most of our writing is done out of necessity. It is not voluntary effort.
We are an instant generation and believe in instant gratification. Writing a letter often involves going to a post box which is another task in itself.
Letter writing is a lost art alright. I can't remember the last time I wrote a personal letter. Scribbled a few words in a card, yes, but an actual personal letter? It's been years and years.
@ Debra - I still have a box of letters written to me from friends and family when I travelled overseas in the 1970's. I always loved, loved, getting mail.
I'm terrible at writing letters now, and my handwriting is atrocious, but the pay-off is so great, isn't it? To make someone smile when they take it out of their postbox.
I agree, letter writing is a lost art. There's also the excitement of receiving a letter, especially from someone on the other side of the world. The world today demands immediate communication which is not always a good thing. Great post as always, Peggy.
Thanks Mike. Yes the world we live in today does demand immediate communication and instant gratification and definitely no patience to hand write a letter and walk to the post office or post box to post the letter.
I am so grateful that I have experienced the world before the internet was invented and also grateful to be living in the world with all the advantages of the internet......the best of both worlds.
Although most people take the 'fast lane' and app, sms, email and chat, I am still an old fashioned letter-writer and I am not the alone... there's nothing better than to write a letter or card to my son to surprise him with 'some extra love' in his mailbox, or send a friend whom I talk to on the phone and chat with a 'surprise envelope' with a sweet note and some goodies... it's a pity that postal costs are so high. I send you a digital hug Peggy!
I do try to take time to write in cards. Compared to letters, the cards are not that much effort. My handwriting is, well it sucks. I've also become a big fan of spell checking.
Hey Marit
Lovely to hear you still write letters with pen and paper.
And thanks for the digital hug.....right back at you my friend.
Peggy
Bill my handwriting is atrocious too. Just recently I have started writing "Morning Pages" each morning when I wake up for about 1/2 hour. The method of writing Morning Pages comes from the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (no relation). My hand is so unused to long-hand writing it gets numb but I persevere because writing these Morning Pages helps me climb out of the procrastination mindset and into a healthier, more productive one.
The only disadvantage is there is no spell check in my fingers!!
So true it is a pleasure I still have a shoebox stored somewhere with old photos and letters which I revisit from time to time. I haven't written a letter for a long long time. Might do that soon
Hey Marja
Yes, as I mentioned in a reply above to Debra, I too have a small box of letters that I revisit from time to time. They take me right back to my 20's, another world, virtually another lifetime. I am so pleased I kept them.
I might start writing short letters again and see where it takes me.
Hand-written letters have been important to me my whole life: pen pals as a school girl, leters home and to my best friend in college, correspondence with friends when I moved away, and letters to my grandchildren occasionally to say I love you, etc. I will never give at the habit and I love nothing better than to received a letter or card from my Mom, my sister, my children, grandchildren and friends. Thanks for this post. Sorry I'm errant in reading it. Hugs from the US.
Hey Candelaria
I love your commitment to hand-written letters, as opposed to texting or even talking on the phone. I feel letter writing allows us to have time to think about the content we are writing, being able to sit down and process our thoughts before actually putting pen to paper.
Also letter writing helps us prioritise what actually matters in life. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the hugs my friend.
Take care
Peggy xxxx
Snail mail really is such a treat these days. I do admire people who are organised enough to do it. I'd love to - but never seem to find the time...
:)
Hey Celia
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I haven't received a "treat" of a personal letter by snail mail for a long long time.
I suppose I could start the ball rolling myself and see if I cause a chain reaction.
Take care
Peggy xxx
Post a Comment