A Letter to Those Who Don’t Write Them
Grab a pen and paper, and send your loved ones a message about the soon lost art of letter writing
Send a letter, spark a smile, and save the USPS!
February 24, 2022
My Dearest Reader,
I hope you are doing well.
I would love to say that we’re all acquainted with the feeling of getting a letter from an old friend, the feeling of checking your mailbox and getting a red envelope full of promise and wonder. An update about your friend’s life may be within, or a card celebrating Galentine’s Day.
Unfortunately, it seems like the reality of what’s in our mailbox may be a lot different than love enveloped and sealed with a wax stamp. Bills, magazines and, on average, 454 pieces of marketing mail per year seem to fill up the bulk of one’s mail, leaving very little room for the potential wonderful letters that could fill up one’s heart.
So with this in mind, I implore you in this letter to send more letters.
Writing a letter is more than just pen on paper; it can be the strokes spilling the most piping hot tea or declaring one’s love.
First, even though interpersonal communication has become so instant, sometimes life is about the slower moments of thoughtfulness for one another. Writing a letter is more than just pen on paper; it can be the strokes spilling the most piping hot tea or declaring one’s love.
Even if there is no occasion, there are few things sweeter than a card that says someone’s thinking of you.
Sending things through the mail is my pride and joy. I have a stamp sheet in my wallet most of the time, and I love sending the few and far between letters I owe to pen pals. There’s a feeling of happiness associated with sending the influx of holiday cards I get to seal with a wax stamp bearing my initials that I got in middle school.
While some stationery may cost a lot, this doesn’t need to be an expensive affair. Nothing is more euphoric than taking a trip to Dollar Tree and picking out cards for everyone on your list. Bulk packs are also great, especially when you have a lot of people to write to!
After you get yourself situated with a drink of your choice (rain dripping down one’s window or blankets are optional), many struggle from one all-too-common dilemma: not knowing what to write.
Which leads into my second point: Long-form communication brings a sort of pause in time as one has more chances to deliberate what you want to get across. There’s not only thoughtfulness about the person to whom you’re writing, but also there is a meditative aspect of centering what one believes is worthy of writing. For once, writer’s block isn’t a hindrance, but an opportunity for reflection.
Though not nearly as popular as before, letters can be written for a good cause.
Then again, it’s not always that deep. Writing a letter can be as simple as telling people what’s happened in the last week or however much time it’s been since you’ve talked. You can concentrate on not only telling them what’s happening, but also include them in the conversation. This is as simple as adding an open-ended question at the end of a paragraph.
You might think this is counterintuitive — as there’s no direct or immediate answer — but it’s what starts the back and forth of letter writing. It’s a lot like when you’re having two conversations with the same friend on different apps at the same time, except one here takes a lot longer.
Third, if you have no friends who would appreciate a handwritten letter, don’t let that stop you from getting out the pen and paper. Though not nearly as popular as before, letters can be written for a good cause.
Pictures might be worth a thousand words, but words are worth a bit too.
You can use your newfound letter-writing powers to write to a member of Congress, support a letter-writing campaign like the ones from Vote Forward or Sierra Club, or start your own campaign. Writing about organizations you are passionate about can even be quite therapeutic, as the words can flow easily as you advocate for something you believe in — and you’re making a difference with a simple action.
Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, writing letters supports the United States Postal Service, an institution that is currently running on fumes. Sending letters is not expensive, considering the immense work that it takes to get them to their final destination, but this could very well change if we phase out the post office to the point of privatization.
And so, as I close out this letter and wish you all the best in your incoming week, I encourage you to write your own letter or card and bestow it upon someone who you feel deserves it this Valentine’s week. After all, pictures might be worth a thousand words, but words are worth a bit too.
Love,
Clara
