Looking through your mail is boring. It’s nothing but bills, coupons you will never use and solar advertisements. Having instant communication with everyone in your life has made it so there is little to look forward to in your mail box. The beauty of sending and receiving letters has died. We can bring it back.
My messages, email inbox and mail box have all become places that are bombarded on a daily basis. It is hard to comb through what is personal, work related or other mail. Having another form of communication with your loved ones or friends is a game changer.
Letters create a reason to anticipate something in your mail box, other than just an Amazon package. Once you create a form of communication between letters, it is addicting to send and receive. Though you might be thinking “‘I have no one to send a letter to,” you would be wrong.
Sending a letter can extend across the world or it can be sent to a city over. I have a friend who I send letters to, and we are only three hours apart. We started when I left for college so if you have a friend at another school or at home, add writing letters as a way to keep in touch.
Writing for someone you know might seem hard, especially if you feel like you tell them everything. I honestly will write about something I have already told someone, I might try to include more detail or ramble about other things but regardless, just write from the heart.
However, if you are looking for a further reach, I recommend writing to extended family members or checking out pen pal services if you want to branch out around the world. This will push you to be more forthcoming about yourself and it will give you a lot to write about.
While finding a pen pal is important, the actual fun part of writing letters is the personalization. The words you chose are important, I think hand written information is always more raw and personal, but I think decoration is also an important aspect to talk about.
Colorful markers, washi tape, stickers and printed photos are all fun embellishments to add when writing a letter. They bring out the writer’s personality, way more than the wall of texts that is digital messaging. Building a stationary arsenal can take a while though, finding what markers you like and the style you want takes time but I recommend Paper Source and Paper Vision.
If design is not your style do not worry, it is completely optional. Something that is not optional is addressing your letters. I use the United States Postal Service guide to make sure that I never miss any components, we want to make sure our letters get to the right place.
In sending and receiving letters you are producing more materials, which can seem wasteful, but my wish is that you are creating something that each of you will keep. The labor that is put into handwritten letters makes them incredibly valuable so go out there and start creating memories that you can hold.