Friday, May 28, 2010
Dear Blog:
Last week I had a wonderful surprise: I stopped by the mail box to get the day’s mail, which usually consists of offers for pizza, insurance and/or bills, but this time I found a letter. An actual handwritten letter! Addressed to me! And not even a fake letter with a computer font to resemble handwriting. I felt like Charlie Brown receiving a letter from the little red-head girl! It was a letter from my beloved friend Bradley, who was on vacation in San Diego.
When did the mailbox get so depressing? We all know the answer to the question, but think about it. The mailbox was once a place of information, a source of joy from a loved one across the seas, a postcard from your Aunt Myrtle sending you greetings from Saratoga, a weekly letter from Mom wanting to know how you are doing and telling you how you how Uncle Earl is getting along. Please don’t get me wrong. I love e-mail, the speed of text and the power of social networking but there was great comfort and joy in Bradley’s letter. It was tangible.
Let me share with you about my friend Bradley. Bradley is truly an old soul and often I wonder if he was born in the wrong time period. I think he’s about 100 years late. But that is Bradley’s charm. He is thoughtful when many are not. He writes handwritten letters and takes joy in finding good stationery and fountain pens. He has a bountiful collection of hats to match his mood or attire. He is my partner for afternoon tea. Then he’ll tell me that he has purchased a silver tea service because it would be a crime to serve tea to the Queen of England on a wooden tray. So my letter from Bradley was nothing less than wonderful. Good stationery, fountain pen and wonderful words of the beauty of the beaches at San Diego.
Letter writing is a lost art form. When I think of letter writing, my mind goes automatically to the Victorians and Edwardians. Not only were they avid letter writers, they took great pride in their handwriting with wonderful flourished and embellished script. Me, being a true geek, has even tried my hand at this script, known as Spencerian script. But with the advent of the technological age, there seems to be a resurgence of interest in letter writing, and that is a wonderful thing.
Last year, Time magazine did an article about the decline of cursive writing. Due to standardized testing, many kids aren’t being taught how to write in cursive. The article stated that, if this trend continues, many students won’t be able to read the Declaration of Independence or the United States Constitution. This bothered me greatly. I knew in the 3rd grade we would learn 3 new things: multiplication, division and cursive handwriting. I was so excited to learn this. Cursive writing was one of the ways I expressed myself.
Cursive writing? Expressive? Really Laura? Were you that deprived as a child? Well no, but let’s just say that I don’t have those “talents” to draw or paint, but I do have wonderful penmanship. So, while other kids doodled in class, I practiced writing my A-B-C’s in cursive. This is a habit I still have today. I even came up with my own script. What did it look like? Well, basically, it looked like my hair. Very, very, very curly! While other students were learning about “World Religion,” there I sat, practicing my A-B-C’s. The other kids must have thought I was off my rocker but I didn’t care. I was expressing my curly, wonderful penmanship self. Take that conformist!
So I want to encourage you to get out there and grab and pen and send a letter. The good people in the Postal Service I’m sure would love to deliver something other than pizza ads.
No? Still resisting letter writing? Say that holding a pen for more than 5 minutes causes your hand to cramp up? Can’t get off the grid? Let me offer you a simple 4- step program to get you to letter writing status again.
Step 1: Start by sending a postcard. Send one to Aunt Myrtle and let her know that the weather in Pascagoula is fine.
Step 2: Send you’re mother a birthday card. Your mom will be so thrilled that she’ll run to tell Uncle Earl!
Step 3: Send a “Thinking of You” or “Just Because” card to your friend Betty. She’s got 2 kids, doesn’t get out to see the adult world much and she would love to know that somewhere, someone in the world is thinking of her.
And finally you’re ready to make the next and final step:
Step 4: Send a handwritten letter to your grandmother. Let her know how life is treating you, what funny antics the grandkids have been up to. Trust me; you’re gold when you do this. Your grandmother will have bragging rights in her Sunday School class for the next week.
Well, I need to close this blog. Off to see the wonderful sights in Pascagoula. Give my best to Uncle Earl!
Respectfully yours,
Laura
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