Letter it be

Recently I took a break from writing emails. I picked up a pen, moved it towards some paper, and started to scribble. 

Apart from discovering how much the quality of my handwriting had deteriorated since I was at school, I quite enjoyed it. It felt more personal and meaningful than, say, typing a WhatsApp message.

Before this, the last time I wrote a letter was to my childhood love, a whopping 20 years ago! Kelly lived across the road from me and we would exchange letters and notes everyday for weeks. I couldn’t wait for the sound of the letterbox snapping back against the door. And then I got my first mobile phone…

It just crossed my mind that there’s people in the world (probably mostly those under 20), that have never even written a letter! But then, why should they when they have an endless supply of messaging apps at their fingertips?

I think Instant messaging is fantastic and convenient, and it has greatly improved making plans. but at the same time it can be very noisy and, ironically, disconnected.

We can sometimes forget how important and powerful words are. At the end of the day it’s not so much about how we write them it’s how we use them. It’s about what we say.

The point isn’t that we should all live in the past and start expressing ourselves like Shakespeare, but that words can still make a difference.

I know for sure If someone took the time and energy to write something to me with ink, I would appreciate it a lot more than the common approach. But at the same time if they decided to write to me the modern way, but with some thought and heart to their message then I’m going to remember it equally.

So the next time you write to someone, make it count. 

Or even better, put it in a letter!

I’m still waiting for my reply. Maybe it’s lost in the post…