Slow Communication: The Art of Letter Writing
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Mail makes me sooooo happy. Jump for joy happy. Do a little dance happy. Who DOESN'T love mail? And I'm talkin' about REAL, handwritten, "made with love" mail. The good stuff. And today, December 7, is National Letter Writing Day. The perfect day to share this love with YOU!
Mail has the power to completely change the course of one's day. Coming home to a delicious package filled with goodies can keep me on cloud nine for a week! It makes me sad that our collective dependence on the Internet has taken away so much of this connection with others. Don't get me wrong, the Internet can be a powerful tool to create connection. But when you receive a real piece of mail from someone, it tells you before you even open it up, that YOU MATTER TO THEM. They stopped what they were doing in their day...and they decided to brighten yours.
I feel very blessed to have amazing friends and family who continue to send little boxes of love my way, even when firing off a FB message would be much less work. Here is a list of some of the goodies I've received from friends in the past...and a list of ideas for YOU to bless your friends with!
Books/Journals
Silks/Scarves
Chocolate
Tea
Bookmark
Toys
Artwork
Jewelry
Photos
Map
Kitchen towels
Stickers
This habit of sending love in a box didn't develop overnight...it's blossomed and grown as I've received packages from others and have taken note of their acts of kindness towards me. Here are a few pointers on how to begin this practice:
Start An Envelope
If you're at a store and see something that catches your eye, and you think, "that would be perfect for...", then you should buy it! Take it home and start an envelope for them. You don't have to mail it that day, or even that month. I always have a few padded manila envelopes going to collect items for people over time. When they get full enough, I write a little note and send it out. Don't forget to be a little crazy. Nothing is too small or inconsequential to throw into an envelope for someone. In a recent letter, my sweet friend Becky sent me a bird feather. It was just a small little thing, but my heart jumped when I opened it. It's also fun to send a "theme" package…where everything is yellow or everything is mermaids!
Type it Up
If typing a letter is easier for you...then type! Even if you could type the same letter by email...just the printing it out, signing it with a handwritten quote, etc. and adding one tea bag will make it 10 times more special than that email. My friend Rachel and I used to do this...we both knew that the other one liked to type letters, and so we sent letters back and forth that were several pages of typed notes from our day. I loved it and always looked forward to her elegant writing and funny stories.
Share Your Day
You may be intimidated by writing a letter…”what would I even tell them?!”. I would suggest starting with a description of your day! Tell them some fun things that happened…little things that you noticed outside. Scripture that you really liked from your Bible study. Or what you have planned for the weekend. Be descriptive and detailed! It takes practice…you’ll get better at it as you do more of it. You could write a letter of appreciation…tell them why you care about them. Why you’re glad they are in your life! You can never send too many of those types of letters. Life is too short…tell them how you feel!
Spread the Love Around and Around
When my mom was in high school, she had a close knit group of friends and later in life they kept in touch with something they called the "Round Robin" letter. Basically, the first person would buy a big padded envelope and put things in there that represented their life at that point. A handwritten letter, a few photographs (yes! *gasp* REAL printed out photographs! not just tags on Facebook!), a recipe, etc. She would send it to the first person on the list. The next person would read everything, and then add her own goodies to the envelope, and send it on to the next person. When it got back around to the first sender, she would take out her stuff and add new things and on and on it goes. This is a super fun way to connect with 3-4 friends. I remember how excited my mom used to get when that Round Robin letter arrived!! Oh the joy!
Create a Mail Station
Stock a "mail station" in your house. It could be a shoebox, a plastic organizer, a basket, or just a drawer in a desk. Whatever you choose, the goal is to keep all of your mailing supplies in one central, easy to find location. That way, when you are thinking about a friend, you can immediately go to your station and start writing and not have to worry about finding a stamp! Speaking of not worrying about stamps…I never stand in line at the post office, because I use PirateShip! You can print postage for lightweight envelopes and boxes and just pop it in the mailbox! So so easy. When you’re ready to create your station…check out my Amazon list of happy mail goodies!
Make It Pretty
Have some pretty stationary or cards on hand at all times. You could write on plain 'ol white paper...but why would you want to when there are so many other options!? Even just cutting out some cool stuff from a magazine and gluing it onto the white paper would be better than nothing. Get creative! I did a quick search on Etsy, and there are over 6,000 items with the keyword "stationary". That should get you started! I also love to have a custom return address stamp…here are some of my favorites! Bella and I found this stationary store above in New York City the last time we were there…and it took my breath away with all the paper goods from floor to ceiling! Paper stores are the BEST.
Find Your Inner Artist
Decorate the OUTSIDE of the envelope/box as well! In the photo above, my friend Becky drew all kinds of goodies all over the box. You better believe everyone in the post office was jealous as it was handed over to me :) I like to put stickers and cut out magazine photos on the outside of envelopes...so much fun. Use modge podge for added effect. :) Washi tape comes in a million designs and duct tape in every color. So much fun.
Keep It Simple With Postcards
Postcards are a fun and easy way to send a greeting. You can even buy pre-stamped postcards at the post office. Carry them in your purse and write little notes when you're in the waiting room, etc. Let your kids decorate the front of the post card...and send it to Grandma! You can also get watercolor-ready postcards to paint on. These are our favorite!
Stamp It Up
I've been known to include a self-addressed stamped envelope in packages I send...with stationary included. Just to make it simple for the other person to write me back! Yes. I love getting mail that much...and it encourages the flow of communication! It's the golden rule of the mailbox:
"WHEN YOU SEND MAIL, YOU RECEIVE MAIL."
Yes, it's fun to bless others with mail, but it's also fun to get some yourself!
I'd love to hear about some of your favorite things that have come in the mail...share them below!
And...I challenge you to send something, ANYTHING, out in the next 3 days to a friend or family member. Send a card, send a book...just send HAPPINESS!
