It’s no surprise that the handwritten letter is becoming a thing of the past. It probably started to die with the telephone, and now that we have emails, texts, facetime, social media and more, it’s really on the ropes.
It’s not really necessary any more, is it? Not as a form of communication anyway.
But what about everything else that it can bring? What about the beauty of a handwritten letter?
There’s so much more to a handwritten letter than there is to any of those other forms of communication.
A letter isn’t a throwaway comment, a quick thought, a dashed off memo.
A handwritten letter is given full attention. Both to write and to read.
It’s crafted with care.
Imagine the process.
A pot of tea is brewing as stationery supplies are gathered. A cosy desk is scattered with pens and paper, or maybe a sprawling table is covered with pretty stickers and fun notecards. Music plays in the background as the writer settles down to share their latest happenings, thoughts and feelings with a friend many miles away. Maybe the recipient is in the next town, the next state or maybe they’re on the other side of the world. It doesn’t matter, because for those moments, they’re in the room with the friend that they might not have ever met, but feel they know all the same.
The letter might be long and chatty, helping the writer to slow down and gather their thoughts. It might involve some creativity as the sender gets lost in some art and crafting putting it together. Maybe it’s the only moment in that day that the writer unplugs.
Picturing it all is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
Bring Back Paper talks about reading, crafting, journaling, loving stationery (which we all do, right?), and more, and using all of these things to slow down and relax. We can connect over these hobbies, talk about books in our book club, chat about journaling spreads, share stationery recommendations and more. But nothing can connect us quite as well as a handwritten letter.
The real beauty of a handwritten letter lies there, in how it connects us.
Over the years I have received countless messages about pen pals and papery swaps.
They are the messages that spur me on, they keep me running everything here as I understand that it’s making a difference to people, a difference to you.
Having pen pals requires no skill, no attributes, no real forethought. It just needs you to want to write and receive letters. To want to make friends with people in this way. That’s it. And in that way, it’s a hobby that anyone can start and enjoy.
The beauty of handwritten letters is that sending and receiving them spreads happiness.
What could be more beautiful than that?
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