Pen & Paper

Things are so different today than what they were like when I was a kid. Instead of texting friends, I would pass them notes in class (I ended up with a few detentions that way). Instead of sending e-invites to my birthday party, we went to the store and picked out 3x5 cards and I would hand write invitations for my party. 

Fast forward to today, at our fingertips by use of social media, we can virtually communicate with others and put anything out in the universe within seconds (literally) rather than how we had to do it in the “olden days” by writing letters, affixing a stamp and dropping it off at the post office.  Sometimes we’d wait a week or more before hearing back! Kids today would absolutely freak.

When was the last time you set aside the phone and laptop and traded in the text for a handwritten letter? Our forefathers did it and they didn’t have the luxury of ball point awesomeness. Writing letters back in the early days was a lot more work than it is today. Documents that changed the course of our history were first written with a Quill pen. Next, came the dip pen, then the metal-nibbed pen, then the fountain pen and now, the any color you’d like, ball point pen.

I literally couldn’t tell you the last time I wrote a letter to someone using paper and pen. I mean I have given out hundreds of cards and I use post it notes on a daily basis, but to actually sit down and put some thought into writing someone a letter….. Wow.  Sadly, it’s been years for me.

So, as you have probably guessed it by now, this week’s pay it forward project is going to be to sit down and write someone a letter. This project was inspired by my friend, Linda, who just last week, sent me a 5 page hand written letter. It was one of those “happy mail moments” and I was truly impacted by the fact that she took the time to put down her thoughts on paper and send it. It was a joy when I opened that envelope to see cursive writing…. CURSIVE! Kids today don’t even know what that is! 

I snuggled in with a blanket and read as each letter was transformed into a word and each word formed a sentence and each sentence was written by a hand that was thinking of me.

This pay it forward project is simple and yet it means so very much. To the person who receives it, it will speak volumes that you took time out of your hectic schedule to make an effort for them. Your letter doesn’t have to be 5 pages long like Linda’s, because let’s be honest, anything longer than “brb, lmk, or ttyl” will be better. The impact your letter will have will not just be for the person receiving it, but it will impact you, too. 

How often do we set aside time in our busy schedule to decompress and do something therapeutic? When you write your letter, pick someone you want to encourage or pick that one person that you haven’t talked to in a while or maybe someone that means so much to you, and let your hands tell the story. Make an effort for them and for you. Pick a quiet spot, make yourself a cozy cup of hot cocoa, and write.  All it will cost you is your time and maybe a stamp but the ripple effect the letter can have can truly make a difference for them and for you.

I wonder how many handwritten letters will be going out to people in the next week? I’d like to think there may be dozens of “happy mail moments” to come. Happy letter writing, my friends. Happy paying it forward this week.

xoxo,

Brenda