Note: This was originally published in February 2019, but feels like a wonderful activity to take up given the current situation.
You might want to check out my first post in the ‘Caring during COVID-19’ series: 2020 is canceled. Here’s what to do instead.
When I was little, I remember watching my Nana sit at the kitchen table, for what seemed like hours, writing letters in her beautiful script. Back then there was no such thing as email, and long-distance calls were a superfluous expense for a pensioner. Old fashioned snail mail was her choice for connecting with family and friends.
A few years later, in high school, my friends and I would write long notes to each other, exchanging them at interval and lunchtime. Without the convenience of texting or instant messaging, we simply had to be patient and wait until the note was passed to us.
Fast forward 25 years and my hand cramps up penning a birthday card! And I can’t remember the last time I hand wrote a letter to someone.
And then a few weeks ago I had an idea that wouldn’t stop bugging me. What if I committed to sending a handwritten letter or card every week for 2019? I tried to dismiss the idea initially. I told the idea ‘don’t be silly! For someone who is constantly working to simplify, this just sounds like a lot of work’. But the idea would not leave me alone.
Snail mail – a dying form of communication
What finally convinced me to commit to doing this was the thought that sending letters the old fashioned way – snail mail – might not even be possible in the future. In my country (New Zealand) postage has halved in the last decade, to the point where we only get mail delivered every second day.
It’s a similar picture in the United States. Between 1995 and 2013 mail volume fell by a huge 61 percent.
There are probably many reasons why people don’t send letters or cards via the post. In an age of instant communication, it’s an incredibly time-consuming way to communicate. And it’s not just the act of writing the letter. You have to leave your home to post it. Then it has to be physically taken (via road or air) to the address on the envelope.
Talk about the long way round!
Snail mail as a mindfulness activity
But in a world built on fast and furious, and instant gratification, I want to make a case for doing things the old fashioned way.
The act of handwriting a letter or card is a slow one. It requires our full attention. And the very nature of it – sitting with pen and paper sets us up to succeed at this mindfulness activity, unlike writing on a device
For example, as I type this, I have a total of 8 tabs open on my browser window. I also have my phone sitting next to me. I’m basically asking to be distracted.
Compare that to sitting at my desk yesterday writing thank you cards to my daughter’s pre-school (she starts school next week!). The desk was clear, laptop and phone in another room. I attended to the task carefully and thoughtfully (maybe it’s just because I hate making mistakes, especially on pretty cards!).
I’ve always enjoyed handwriting. There’s something wondrous about seeing your thought transform into shapes on the page that can then be passed on to someone else.
Writing with a favorite pen (it has to be just right!), and playing with my script in an artful and creative way has always been enjoyable. But
Even list-making can be enjoyable when you can attend to it slowly with a cup of coffee in the sun.
The magic of handwritten letters
Receiving something handwritten feels far more personal than typing something. A piece of paper, that you have etched ink into, is sent across miles of road or ocean, for the sole purpose of transmitting your thoughts and feelings to another person. It’s kinda magical.
It reminds me of how Stephen King refers to books.
Books are a uniquely portable magic.
Stephen King, On Writing: A memoir of the craft.
I love that when I hand-write something for someone it feels much more like I’m giving them a piece of me that if I was to send them a text or email.
And then there’s the surprise when you open your letterbox to a letter (that’s not a bill) addressed to you! The simple joy of receiving something that someone has deliberately taken time to write is such a gift.
I want my daughters to experience this magic before sending letters via the post isn’t an option anymore.
This summer my 5-year-old made a friend in the camping ground we were staying at. She happens to live in another city. They have swapped addresses and I hope to encourage her to send a few letters this year. What a great way to practice their writing too!
How can you experience this mindfulness activity?
The easiest way to dive into more letter writing is to write a series of gratitude cards or letters. There are probably a good handful of people in your life that you are grateful for. But have you ever really taken the time to tell them? Take a minute or two after reading this to note down their names and commit to sending some love to their letterbox.
Or you might decide to start a long slow conversation with a good friend who lives in a different city or even country. Maybe you commit to sending one letter or card a week for a year.
P.S. I send regular weekly(ish) encouragement via email – you are welcome to sign up below.
