I’ve always liked the idea of letter writing. I think there are multiple reasons for this. 1. I like the idea of having something special from a person that I can keep and look back on in the future, because looking back on things is something that I enjoy the most. Maybe that’s one reason why I write so much, or why I have this blog. 2. I think that it’s really special to have someone hand write something for you because it means they’ve spent and sacrificed their time for you. In the age of social media, often our communication happens while doing / in between other things, so writing a letter would be an actual activity for the day, rather than just an in-between.
I suppose I spend a lot of time writing about people. I write poems about people that are often written ‘to’ people, even though most of the time, they won’t actually read them. I might like them to read them. Maybe if I could send them in letters. But, I spend a lot of time on people, and I suppose it would be nice to know what it feels like to have someone spend time on me. I also think that letters are a lot more personal, as if they happen in between the folds of an envelope. A letter feels like a midnight conversation under the stars when no one else is awake, rather than a conversation over coffee in a bustling café. A letter feels like a place where you can just talk about anything.
You may ask, if I’m so fond of letter writing, why don’t I write them? Good question. I’ve asked myself this before. The first reason is that, I think I need to find someone who will appreciate my letters in the same way I would, and someone who might actually write back. The second reason is the main one. Because of social media, I think letter writing may be tricky. Any person who I might want to write a letter to is probably a person who I am good friends with and who I talk to on an almost daily basis. Because they are just a click away on the internet, everything that I want to tell them, I probably already told them. So, what would I say in the letter?
I just think there’s something very special about waiting for letters. It keeps a seed of hope alive inside of you constantly, and I think hope is something that really lights a sparkle in someone’s eye and can really brighten up lives.
Lauren Kathleen 