Dear Reader,
Yes, I'm writing this post in letter form. And there's a very good reason for it.
My book club recently finished a charming little book called "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society." While I enjoyed this book on several levels, it also made me sad. And here's why.
People don't write letters anymore.
I used to write to my great uncle every once in awhile. But then I moved to his town. And I guess I write my grandmother every once in awhile. But I can honestly say that I don't really remember the last time I received a letter from anyone. Think about it. Pen and paper have become as antiquated as typewriters or telegrams. It's sad. More than that, it's alarming.
My book club had an interesting time chewing this over. What is it about letters, that make things more interesting, more PERSONAL even than an EMAIL. Handwriting came to mind for me, but since the book doesn't contain different styles of handwriting (other than the one style of print the publisher chose for the entire book) that couldn't very well be the answer.
Our group finally settled on an answer. It wasn't handwriting. Or penmanship. Or the "tangibleness" of a letter that makes it so special. It's the fact that a person takes more time and effort with it... puts more thought into it ... than we do even with emails these days.
Emails, we decided, have become so succinct. So brief and casual. But letters ... people used to take their time with letters. They were often so beautifully written and contained the details of everyday life. They were often a form of art.
An art form sadly lacking into today's culture.
So what did I do to lament my lack of snail mail? My lack of friends/family to write long, meandering letters to?
I went on a pen pal site.
Three hours later, I am now the proud recipient of a pen pal. Elisa is 28 and the mother of two girls, living in England. That's all I know of her, (and all I'll say, for her privacy's sake) but I'm super excited to get writing.
Maybe I'll bore her to tears with my random musings and we'll find that the real issue at heart is that our culture has outgrown the tolerance of long meandering letters.
Or maybe we'll both enjoy the outlet -- The ability to talk with a stranger far across the sea and share our random thoughts.
Either way, the chance to chat with someone new sounds delightful. I figure it's a win-win situation.
So here's to the "letter," long may it live! And I urge all you readers out there to sit down with some paper and write one up ... for old time's sake! If your kids ask what you're doing, tell them that this is how people used to communicate ... in the "olden days"!
Sincerely,
Katrina
