02 January 2015

Letter

Dear _______,
[...] In general, I like people who offer things for free. Sending snail mail is one of those little things we can do for (humbly) improving the world. Well, in fact, it isn't exactly for free. Sometimes we get an answer, unexpected or not. Sometimes we learn about history, geography, sociology, art, languages… We  mostly learn about ourselves. And in addition we obtain a lot of fun by making and sending mail.
I have been penpalling since I was 11 years old. My very first pen pal is still one of my best friends. We met by the first time when we both were at University. We have moved away more than ten times, even to different countries. And we still write each other once or twice a week by snail mail. I like to tell this story because, when I think it over, I find it extraordinaryThere is something special, even magical, in coming across a well-known handwriting in the mail box.
But also it is when I receive a letter or a postcard from a less close friend or relative, or from an unknown person. From time to time it occurs to me that writing to strangers is somehow weird. But life is about weirdness, isn't it? When I'm writing or making mail art, I imagine a smile on the recipient's face. My experience says that everybody smile when they run into a personal piece of mail in the mail box. At least, they forget their problems for a minute while trying to figure out who sent that letter and/or why. Then they open it and start to read, so they are allowed instants of calm.
I try to make every letter special. I don't consider myself an artist, and at times I'm not proud of the result. But the recipient will smile anyway. Because human beings just love stories, and every little piece of mail, every stamp, every postmark… tells us a story. [...]
Postally yours,
E.

6 comments:

  1. Beautifully said!
    And to me sure mail causes a big smile. When I open my mailbox and find an envelope or card with my address real handwritten (the wellknown handwritings cause a smile from ear to ear! And unknown handwritings cause a smile filled with puzzling and expectations, wondering who the sender would be).
    And also a big smile appears when I walk to the letterbox and put my to-sent mail into it.
    Thank you for all great mail you've sent, and wishing you not only a Happy Healthy Peaceful Loving New Year, but also a Happy Mail Year! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment! I wish you the same. I'll do my bit in order you have a happy mail year... :D

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  2. How true! And I like the word happy mail for such letters/cards...
    EvaJ

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  3. I love your story! I find it really freeing to write to strangers. I think it's easier for me to open up because I don't really care if I'm judged. I've made some really amazing friendships through the post. In fact, I just hung out with one of my pen pals for the majority of the day yesterday, and we had such a good time!

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Thank you for coming. All your comments make me extremely happy.