As you walk back to the house after checking the mailbox, you sort through the envelopes with a sense of boredom.  Bills, bills, always so many bills. And the constant junk mail is a never ending atrocity of waste.  But wait.  You spot a hand addressed envelope with a real stamp on it.  You would know that handwriting anywhere.  You weren’t expecting this.  You wonder what they sent and what they have to say.  You can’t wait to get inside and devote a moment to this hand delivered and very welcome message.  You might even start tearing into the envelope before you make it through the door.  What a great moment.

Do you remember the last time this happened to you?  Can you remember how great it feels to get one of those unexpected cards or letters?  Can you remember that feeling of knowing someone was thinking of you and cared enough to send you a long distance hug in a letter?  Shouldn’t these types of moments be had more often?

A handwritten letter is a simple pleasure for the receiver and, very often, for the writer as well.  A tangible proof of caring and affection.  A gesture of outreach that is read and re-read with a smile and with uplifted spirits.  A keepsake cherished for many years.  An expression of personality and character; a sharing of knowledge and news.  An art, a hobby, a ritual, a tradition.  A pure and unadulterated way of connecting, of bonding, of building relationship.  An incomparable pleasure.

I want more of that in my life.  I recently joined the Letter Writers Alliance because I agree with their mission to encourage and enable people to “get offline and write more letters”.  You may wish to support this mission, too!

My New Year’s resolution is to regularly send handwritten letters to people with whom I want to be more connected.  To my family, to my friends both local and long distance, even to good people I meet via social media, and to complete strangers, too.  I’m excited about getting more connected to people via analog methods in our brave new digital world.  It will be a nice way to put more goodness into the universe.  🙂