I am 51 years old and can still be thrilled with something as simple as a letter.
There is NOTHING like getting a real letter in the mail. Hand-written, a real stamp, a real envelope, special stationery, RIGHT in our own box........just for ME. Somebody thought of me one day, and sent me a post-card, letter or card.
I remember getting letters from my Grandma, she never had fancy stationery. I'm sure I have her letters somewhere. I remember thinking when she was still alive, *this* could be the last letter I get from her. And one time, it was. My Great-Grandmother used to write me, too. I wonder where she was when she wrote the letters? The table in the room in the front of the house, the table with the potted plants? Or did she sit at the big eating table and write letters? I'll never know. I know where my mom sits. Right at the table where she drinks her coffee. She still writes letters to me and I am still excited about them, even if I talked to her the evening before on the phone. She always sends me coupons or something out of the newspaper. ALWAYS.
I'm reading a book called: Why Write Letters/ 10 Ways to Simplify and Enjoy Your Life
The first chapter is on the *beloved letter* in the mail. Really now. Just think about how much YOU like to get a letter. So does everybody else. And what are we doing about it? I am very random in this area. I got a sheet of stamps for Christmas.........and here it is the end of May, and I still have half of them left. Shame on me. Not that I'm some kind of star or celebrity, but I *could* possibly brighten up somebody's day. I have a neat little pile of stationery....if you know me, then you know I have all kinds......vintage post-cards, cards with bunnies, Snoopy, 4th of July cards..........and there it all still is.
"If we can make time in our days and weeks to enjoy the simple things--write letters, grow lettuce, unlock doors, sing songs, keep house, spend more time at home, use the branch library, take trains, use calm as well as courage......." (from the introduction of book)
Writing a letter and actually sending it is good for you AND the person that gets it.
"Writing letters is a simple form of obedience to the Golden Rule. It does to others what we would like them to do to us." "If you don't send letters, you won't get letters."
"Writing letters encourages self-expression. It tells us what we are thinking. We may not have taken the time lately to find out!"
"Writing letters does not have to be profound. We don't need to rise that far above small talk for the letter to work. In fact, the closer we stay to what happened today, the better."
.....and concerning those that follow us..........."they will read our letters, but not our electronic mail."
"Mostly older people write letters."
"Why write letters? To stay connected to people and stay connected in depth. Given the ease with which letters accomplish that objective, it is hard to think of stamps as expensive."
"Letters disclose us to ourselves and to each other. It is at our great peril that we choose against such disclosure by letting the telephone or the Internet tell our stories. These fast, unrecorded methods tell our stories as though they were disposable. They are not."
"Why write letters? To make the space for pondering."
Letter writing causes us to ponder.
So, maybe you ought to try to write a letter this week. When I think of the letters and cards I have gotten in the past....it can only bring a smile to my heart. We MUST dismiss the poison pen letters, the ones written in anger, the ones from people that have nothing better to do than stir up strife. Dismiss them from your mind and enjoy the good letters, the ones filled with tidbits of joy........
The next chapter.............WHY grow your own lettuce?
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