handwritten

“What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters.  You can’t reread a phone call.”  ~Liz Carpenter

Handwritten letters may be a rarity but they definitely are relevant. These days everything is all about speed and convenience. Sometimes we need to slow down to show someone they are special. A letter written by hand evokes a much different set of feelings than a hastily keyed E-mail or text.

Lately so many people seem to be far more aware of mindfulness while others also attempt to be more mindful. The acts required for writing a letter by hand require multiple aspects of mindfulness: selecting the paper (or stationery), the pen, sitting at a desk or table to compose, heading to the post office for stamps and to deposit the letter in a post box. Before a letter has even been read by the recipient, it says, “You are special. I care.” It’s like putting thought into and heading out to find the perfect gift for someone. A handwritten letter IS a gift.

“Letters are tangible. The crisp sounds of the unfolding, the slight indentations where you pressed a bit harder with the pen, and the smell of paper all contribute to not just a message, but an experience. A handwritten letter is a tangible thing—something that engages our senses in a way that technology currently cannot. The recipient can tuck the letter into a book or slide it into a drawer. They can display it on a shelf or keep it on the nightstand. It is a physical reminder of the writer, their thoughts forever etched onto a physical object. Your reader will not soon forget you.” — Matt Maszczak

Bring the artist or creative out. Many people who do write letters will often doodle or create actual art on the letter itself, or the envelope. You can draw your own emoticons or characters or flowers. Or add a pressed leaf or flower — or include a photograph. Speaking of which, the last letter I sent the other day, I actually added a little drawing on the envelope! I was so excited to get it in the mail, on its way to the recipient, that it never occurred to me to take a photo of it first.

“The very act of writing by hand slows the mind. It forces the writer to make the words one-at-a-time rather than pound them out in quick succession. There is a cost to choosing the wrong word, so the writer must make decisions more carefully. When a page is completed, the words contained are captured in the unique artistic beauty of an individual artist.” —Matt Maszczak

As if this isn’t enough incentive to consider writing an occasional letter, I’ve recently learned that when we write in cursive, divergent parts of our brains are activated, unlike when we keyboard (and those areas of the brain are not activated). I don’t write letters nearly as often as I once did though I’m making an effort to keeping my own art of letter writing alive.

 

Are you interested in giving it a try? The hardest part is getting started, so I’ll make it simple. Who do you appreciate most? If you knew there was only one more chance you’d have to talk to them, what would you tell them?

And if that suggestion doesn’t work for you, try this. What have you accomplished lately or this past year that you are proud of achieving (or doing)? Who would love to know about that news?

Length of the letter doesn’t matter. Even a simple, two-sentence note is meaningful, and a great start.

So now, I need to slide away from the keyboard, pick up a pen, and write another letter (did I mention I’ve written four so far this month?). With pen in hand, …

PS: Although I’ve written multiple posts in the past on writing letters, postcards, and notes, I thought you may be interested in this one from 2012: The Pillar Box