Letterwriting - A lost art

What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm human hand-clasp.                              ~Author Unknown


Recently, I was having a conversation with a good friend lamenting the lost art of letter writing.  There was a time when sitting down with a pen and paper to communicate with someone was important.  When writing, one often took time to think about what to say, how to say it and reflect on the joy the receiver of the letter would have.

Now a days it’s all texting. Texting this, texting that.  Texting for everything.  And it’s challenging, because texts mean a shortening of  words and funny expressions and what if you don’t understand the happy face symbol.  I just learned what the :) means.  I didn’t know.  Texting is not good for the English language and children learning to spell.  While being able to communicate with someone instaneously it has it’s benefits, it’s not good for dating.

For trying to make that first connection, it should be face to face, to read the nonverbal signals.  Not through a text message.  But texting is fun, quick little conversations through out the day.  I send a little text message and wait to hear the trill of my phone telling me someone has responded back. 

Back to dating, texting makes it hard to know if someone is sincere.

What happened to long phone conversations on landlines?  That’s what I like.  But the information highway didn’t consult with me before saturating the market with phones that can do all sorts of things beside just make phone calls.

There is nothing more beautiful than getting a piece of mail.  A hand addressed note written on a piece of stationary chosen by the correspondent.  It says someone took the time to compose and articulate a thought to another person. 

Of course I learned to text because my son was going off to college and informed me that was the way I could communicate with him.

But I did take to it. And enjoy sending out little good morning messages to my friends.

But back to letter writing, I reiterate, there is nothing so sweet as a getting a piece of mail, handwritten.  I like writing thank you notes and sending them in the mail. I like the idea of surprising someone.

Texting, writing, calling:  it’s all about communication, vital and important in our world.   Reaching out and connecting with another person sharing the beauty of life.

(for the sake of this post I didn't mention email (focused on texting), but that is another blog post)

 To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. 

~Phyllis Theroux