It’s a sobering thought that while most of us will have lived in an age where letters were still the ‘norm’ for written communication, today’s teenagers and even some younger adults will have never had such an experience. Soon, the idea of writing a letter for anything other than practicality will seem absurdly quaint.
Email, Twitter and texting is now where it’s at, with instant communication possible at any moment from handheld devices. Most people wouldn’t have it any other way, as these tools have become so ingrained in our culture that we’d struggle to go back, but do you ever miss the anticipation and eventual satisfaction of receiving a carefully presented, hand-written letter?
If so, it’s time to bring snail mail back into your life! It helps, of course, if you have someone to correspond with, but most of us have friends or relatives we don’t see as often as we’d like to – perhaps because they’ve emigrated, taken on heavy work or family commitments or perhaps you’re the one who’s travelling or has moved away from your home town. Maybe you have elderly relatives for whom communication by letter is still perfectly natural.
Once you’ve pinned down your chosen correspondent, it’s time to start thinking about what you can talk about. Many of us remember the fun of writing down observations or funny events we’d witnessed to our school friends, so why not bring back that tradition? You might also want to illustrate your letters with scrap items or sketches – all details that are much harder to convey on screen.
If writing letters feels a little eccentric at first, consider why your recipient is likely to appreciate the gesture. It lets them know you took time and effort to communicate with them – not so true with a tweet – and is far more personal. They’ll also be able to keep and return to the letter easily, and you can enjoy waiting for their reply.
To get yourself into the right frame of mind, make sure you equip yourself with some good quality stationery and find somewhere relaxing – away from your laptop and phone – to write. This will be another sign to your correspondent that you made an effort, and will make the process far more enjoyable for you, too. Handwriting is another skill that has suffered through the advent of modern technology, so this is a great way to keep your hand in good shape.
Finally, if you don’t get any replies, don’t despair: the process of writing a letter can be highly therapeutic as it focuses the mind and lets us know what’s really important. If all else fails you’ll have done that, and somewhere, there’s a record to prove it.
Image: KRSPO
