Back to Letter Writing

The other night I was thinking about the way things were before the internet and social media. I've seen a lot of people lately talking about leaving Facebook for other platforms, and I was thinking about what the world would be like if none of those things existed anymore. 

One thing I know for sure is that if there were no social media anymore, people would have a lot more time to do a lot more things! Don't get me wrong, I'm on Facebook and Instagram, and I probably won't be giving them up completely anytime soon. But I find that I'm able to get a lot more things done when I put down the phone and close the laptop and actually do something worthwhile.

The thing I like most about social media is being able to keep in touch with far away family and friends. (And these days when we all mostly stay home, even not so far away family and friends.) But what did we do before social media existed? We called people on the phone and we wrote letters and sent them in the mail.

When I was in elementary school my family moved several times and I changed schools. Each time this happened I gained new pen pals. I would write to my friends and they would write back. It was so much fun to get letters in the mail! I also wrote letters and sent cards to my grandparents and sometimes other relatives like cousins and aunts and uncles. This continued even after I graduated from high school and then got married. But sadly, eventually the letter writing completely stopped. At one point I tried to revive my letter writing, but it was a busy time in my life and I didn't keep up with it. And then Facebook happened.

Facebook is fine for keeping in touch, but it can be very superficial. Letter writing, on the other hand, is quite different. When you write a letter you are taking the time to share your thoughts, your feelings, and your life with someone else, and you are hoping that they will share theirs with you in return. You are showing them you care, and that they are important to you. Writing a letter forces you to slow down and reflect, to put your thoughts and ideas to paper. A handwritten letter is really something special. 

Did you know there's a whole penpal and mail art movement going on? "Happymail" has become a thing. If you do an internet search or Instagram search, you can get a lot of ideas about things to send to your penpal and ways to decorate letters and envelopes to make them into beautiful works of art. This really appeals to me because I love paper and art supplies, and I used to love writing letters.

So, I've decided to start writing letters again. I dug out my box of pretty stationery and I will start with that before I try any fancy mail art. I'll be writing to my daughters and my sister first (watch your mailboxes, girls!) And I have a feeling I'm going to really enjoy keeping in touch with people in this old fashioned way!

Would you like to penpal with me? If you would like to get a letter from me, just send me an email or a message on Facebook with your mailing address and I would love to write to you!