The Lost Art of Letter Writing

Dear reader,

One thing I miss about the days before internet is receiving the occasional post card or letter from a friend. When these letters do come from time to time they are a treat; I open these right besides the mailbox.

By the power of deduction, you can safety assume that I like real mail, by that I mean mail, before pseudo-mail, or email, which in my case includes 2,000 pieces of spam to filter through. Joking aside, I am a romantic and a lover of old-fashioned letters and thank-you notes. Yet is the art of letter writing lost?

I remember when I first graduated college, I went on several interviews when the days of internet resumes had just began. The lover of paper stationary that I was then, I could not be stopped by the free thank you notes that came with the box of resume paper. I sent paper ‘Thank You’ notes to every person who interviewed me. One hiring manager called me directly, and said, "Congratulations, yot the job, because of that thoughtful thank you note.”

It was a job on Wall St, and ultimately did not work for me as it was a purely commissioned based role, but it made me so happy to see the power of the written word, on real paper.

The Lost of Art of Letter Writing

When my husband and I first got married in 2004, he was stationed in Fort Knox, Kentucky to do his Officer Basic Training. I, on the other hand, went out to Seattle to get settled at his first duty station and find a job. So the one way we decided to keep in touch was to write letters to each other. I found journaling and sending letters was a way to connect more deeply than a phone conversation.

Letters from the Battlefield

Skip ahead about two years in 2006, and my husband was deployed to Iraq. So although during this time there was some internet access, it was shoddy at best, and letters were our primary means of communication. My husband wrote me a letter every single day that was possible. Some letters were really hard to read. And others, brought me the most immense joy I have ever experienced from a piece of paper.

So as you can see, letters have been one of the most impactful pieces of communication. Sometimes a real letter just feels different because you can touch it, hold it, take it in to your heart. A real letter has weight, in both senses of the word.

Write Letters that make a Change

Fast forward years later, I wrote an email letter to President Barack Obama. I expressed concerns about the VA system and some of the problems that I saw at a time when many veterans were returning from war. A few weeks later, I received a paper letter from the White House, on official stationary signed by President Obama promising changes and thanking military families. I still have that letter.

A letter says, "Open me now!" It reminds us to live in the moment. It is like a time capsule that seals our emotions on a page and allows the reader to truly own them. A letter is a gift of words. It fills the other person with your presence. Letters can bring so much joy.

With email becoming so overlooked, some organizations are turning to mail for marketing, and it is not a bad strategy if done correctly. Just the week I received a letter from my local art museum, which caught my attention because it was written thoughtfully. Don’t underestimate the power of traditional forms.

A Letter from You

Every person has a unique presence that can be felt. In a letter, you can get lost and truly feel that person’s energy. So share that magic with someone you love today. Or even write a letter to yourself a year from now, and yes, mail it.

Thanks for reading,

Miriam