It’s a gloomy Sunday afternoon and I thought to myself, “what a great time to sit down and write a cosy little blog post for you all.”
One of my few memories I have from when I was young is the joy of writing and exchanging letters and creating friendships through these letters, having a pen pal they called it. Back then, in the late 1900’s as kids call it these days, having pen pals was the norm, we didn’t have Fb or Dm’s to slide into so we would exchange letters. I still have a box of letters from all my school friends.
We would find the cutest paper to write on, some fancy coloured gel pens, stickers and whatever else our crafty little minds could come up with. It was fun yet we have lost that art in this technological world. Everything seems to have become meaningless and empty even though we are technically connected more. Everyone is so accessible these days and no one needs to ask how anyone is doing because they share stories of every little detail to keep you updated.
With increasing followers and friends I started to find myself feeling more and more disconnected so I decided to find myself a pen pal, get off of my screen and find that joy of connecting and writing letters again (yes I understand the somewhat irony of finding a pen pal off of social media however social media is good to find connections).
I went out and gathered some nice stationary and took some time out to write to a stranger on the internet. The act of sitting down and thinking about what to say, what to share, what questions to ask and how I would decorate my newly formed letter was extremely fulfilling. I felt as if I had used my time for good, that it truly meant something instead of that empty feeling that comes with scrolling and replying to 2957389675 Dm’s. I felt a sense of joy and connectedness that I hadn’t felt for a long time.
With the final sticker sealing up the envelope I headed to the post office to have it shipped! Also, remember how cute stamps are! That was another nice little joy that I had forgotten about too.
A few weeks later I received a letter. The excitement that arose in me before even opening it was delightful. I hadn’t received a hand written letter in goodness knows how long. What was in it, what did they say, what creativity did they include, would I have a new life long friend?
I opened the letter and my heart was full with so much joy! To feel a true connection with someone who I had never met, to learn about someone and how they see the world. There is something special about taking the time to intentionally connect with someone and I think we have lost that in our modern lives.
One of the lessons I have learnt in life is that it is the people in live who make life worthwhile and joyful which is why I want to bring back the art of snail mail and having pen pals.
I am addicting to this feeling of connecting and creating with people all over the world. What a beautiful thing it is!
If you’d like to be pen pals or you’d like to find a pen pal please leave your name, country and three things about yourself/likes in the comments below!
Lets connect and lets create!
Much love,
Fox.
I had a pen pa in the early 90’s. Then, that pen pal became my online friend. Then we became friends for reals. We’re still friends today.