Going postal

I love getting mail, and I'm talking about real mail, on paper, in an envelope. I like e-mail too but there's something indescribable about getting a handwritten letter. The weight of the envelope in your hand, the smooth surface of paper, and the curving lines of familiar handwriting, it's enough to make my heart skip a beat. And I love writing letters as much as I love receiving them. I'm afraid letter writing is becoming somewhat of a lost art though. I may not be the best of writers but I try and people seem to enjoy getting my letters. But I think too often letters are given up for e-mail correspondence. Letter writing doesn't necessarily have the convenience and informality of e-mail but it has to be engaging in a way that isn't required of e-mail or conversation. In a letter the only things you have to capture someone's attention are your wit and your handwriting. And yes, I did just place a hefty level of importance on handwriting. I think penmanship says a lot about a person and that translates into their writing. And I say this not because I have good penmanship but because I know that my handwriting reflects who I am, it's a little extension of me as a person. So, when someone gets a letter from me I'd like to think it's a little piece of me that they can hold in their hands and read as though they were having a conversation with me. Isn't there something comforting about that? To feel so close to someone through a couple sheets of paper even though we could be on opposite sides of the earth? I think so.