Am I too old for a penpal?
This was a question I was asked recently. Of course I answered with a resounding no, but it did get me thinking.
How many people out there would love to send and receive a little happy mail? How many people like the idea of trying something new? How many people would value more connections and friendships?
And then, how many people out there are reluctant to try it? Perhaps thinking they’re too old, or some other belief.
Let me tell you, you are never too old for a penpal! Or too young, for that matter.
I know from our wonderful Bring Back Paper community, that you are more than welcome to come and join in with, that we have a wide range of ages taking part. Our activities do have an 18+ guidance on them, so it is for us adults, and I know we have a good spread of ages from late teens through to people in their 80s and 90s.
It’s all about writing letters, receiving mail, swapping papery extras, sending postcards, playing around with cute stationery and making friends. How can there be an age limit on that kind of fun?
It’s a relaxing habit, sitting down to read a letter with your cuppa or grabbing some stationery and sharing a little of your life with a friend this way.
It’s an easy hobby to take up, you could be reading this now and then get a pen pal and be writing a letter to them later today.
Don’t doubt that you’re a good fit for it, don’t doubt that it’ll be difficult, if the idea appeals to you, just go for it.
If you’re on Instagram, there are often shout outs asking for pen pals, and I run penpal finding threads over there from time to time.
We then have our Bring Back Paper Facebook group and it’s a great way to find a penpal. Free to join, it’s an ever growing, friendly community.
Everybody there enjoys paper in some form or another, and there are plenty of people who have been happy mailing for years through to people just like you who would like to try it but aren’t too sure what they’re doing.
There’s lots of content here on the blog about pen pals, just use the search box and type in ‘penpal’, ‘happy mail’ or ‘snail mail’. To get you started, try Could A Pen Pal Be For You?, How To Start To Pen Pal and How To Be The Best Pen Pal. There are plenty more posts to look at if you’d like to, but those are good starting points.
There are also lots of pen pal YouTube videos over on my channel, they’ll help you to see how easy and fun it all is.
I hope this has reassured you that you’re never too old for a penpal, you’re never ‘too anything’ for a pen pal. Penpals are friends who appreciate a little happy mail in their lives.
Take this as your sign to give it a go!
If you’re new to Bring Back Paper, you can find out more about it all here. You can join our Facebook group here and you can sign up to join my mailing list below, for all the latest news, updates, ideas and activities.