Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Writing Letters...


So lately I've been seeing movies, or television that seem to talk a lot about writing letters, actual letters. Showing people writing letters or reading letters. Letters are an art form, a nearly lost art form. Which is sad. Typing emails, and status updates, and instant messages, even text messages, or emotionless. Even extremely moving emails that most girls keep, like they would letters, aren't nearly as personal. The typeface is general, the words are tapped, while a letter the words are carefully scratched across a paper with permanence that no sentiment can be backspaced easily.
So what is this post even about, or is it about anything really??? Well it is. I miss getting letters, writing letters, the effort it takes to take the paper and put the pen to it and mark it, (just like my poem). Even if you hit a blank, though must go into a letter. After its written its folded carefully, placed in an envelope and then put into a box. The letter slowly, yes it takes a few day, which to me is part of its charm, to reach the intended reader. A general piece of paper becoming something intimate between two friends, two lovers, two family members. Each one specifically for them. A piece of paper that you can read over and over again and see the authors hand writing and scrolls on each paper, each meant just for them.
In old times without internet, cell phones, or instant message with picture it would take weeks to get letters from family members. I was not alive through this time, but my grandparents were, and I know that when they had passed, there were letters after letters that were old and worn that were saved because it showed the sentiment growing between them. What can we say today? Print out the typed pages of emails to pass down? Who is to say that it's written by me? Is this my hand writing? I love to look back at my great-grandmothers notes, even just to herself, letters between loved ones that I have been able to come across.
So to quickly sum up this "short" post... which I have now made long... I feel this generation is missing out on the personalities that came with letters, the effort it took to write a letter, and... well I am missing letters. The beauty of a hand written letter will never, in my mind, be replaced by a typed letter.

1 comment:

Megistentialism said...

Jaci, I love this post!! I agree about letters becoming obsolete. I feel like the same thing is happening to personal conversation. I also agree about handwriting! I can't remember the last time I *had* to write anything other than a signature. Definitely weird.