writing letters Archives

Do you like to write letters? Have you written to someone recently? I mean the real, physical ones, on those dainty letter heads? I used to write plenty of them, once upon a time. Now with whatsapp and FB messenger and of course our mobile phones I hardly get around to it.

The more close we are to people the less likely we are to write to them. It seems just too formal, right? Perhaps that’s exactly why we need to write to them – a formal declaration, so to say, of our love or appreciation, a recognition of the many ways they make our life special just by being in it. Seeing it in writing makes it that much more real because it can be read and re-read and preserved, the happiness relived many times over.

Am I getting too sentimental? Perhaps! It’s the mausam to get sentimental, isn’t it? Tomorrow is Valentines’ day after all.

Back to writing letters – I’ve never written one to the children. I have often left notes for H and N, small ones – in their tiffins, sometimes on their tables but I’ve never written a full fledged letter. I write to them on the blog and hope they’ll read it someday but I prefer to have heart to heart conversations rather than taking up pen and paper – tweens are an impatient tribe you see.

However in their tenth year I think it’s time I began a tradition – a tradition of physical cards/letters. I think there may soon come a time when conversations will not always be easy. A tradition of writing to each other may then come to our rescue. It is somewhat of a backup plan that I hope to put in place to make sure our communication never breaks down completely.

This Valentine’s Day I shall write out my very first ones. They’ll be easy to write for they’re letters of love, a great way to begin a tradition.

How about you joining me in writing one to your son or daughter? Or to any loved one – a friend, your spouse, your mum, dad, your roommate.

If you’re not sure how to go about let me share what I will be putting into mine. Well, not the actual letters of course, for those will be very personal, but a template of sorts. Take a look. I guess much of it is applicable to anyone you love.

1. I love you because…

you give the warmest hugs, the sweetest smiles

2. I love how you’ve grown to…
become more sensitive, more caring

3. I am proud of you when

I watch you sharing without complaining, when you talk of books you’ve read or facts you’ve picked up

4. I like how you take responsibility

to lay the table, to make your own breakfast

5. I know I can trust you to

be on your own at home, run errands for me

6. I notice the little things you do like…

switching off the lights, picking up trash off the society lobby

7. I love it when we…

read a book together, watch a film together, bake together

8. You amaze me..

with your insatiable curiosity

9. You make me laugh when you…

make your ‘cute face’, do your ‘happy dance’

10. The best thing about you is that…

you make friends so easily, you are quick to realise your fault.

There, that’s it. All you have to do now is get some paper and a pen and write your heart out.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

There’s something special about receiving letters – those handwritten ones on pretty little letterheads. I remember
writing plenty of them, back in the old old days :-).

Living in a far flung area of the city, my sister and I had no friends we could visit. So once school closed for the two-month summer vacation we were cut off from the world. We had no means of communication. No mail, no chats, no phones – not even a landline. So we’d write; as would our friends. We’d wait for the postman to deliver. And woe betide anyone who dared to as much as touch them. They were ‘private’ you see, even when all they had was how much holiday homework had been done, how many times the parks had been visited and how many films had been watched.

We’d even look forward to those letters from Reader’s Digest. They seemed so personal. Yeah I know now it was just marketing. Growing up does take away the magic from so many things!

Then there was this whole idea about having pen pals. There were magazines with addresses of kids who wanted pen pals and I wrote to one of them once too but nothing ever came of it. I still loved the idea of sharing a bit about yourself with a stranger in a far away land. Perhaps, that’s where this blogging thing began – this writing to strangers and making friends.

It’s is wonderful how my blog has connected me to so many people I haven’t ever met. We decided to take it a step further and send each other letters – proper hand written ones – just like the ‘olden’ times. Nope I refuse to label it ‘snail mail’ – that sounds mean!

I wrote to Eli, who blogs at A Global Fusionista. It was like talking to a friend – a friend I hadn’t met in a while – since Eli had been off her blog for sometime.

I received such a warm mail from her that it quite made my day. It is amazing how people from different nationalities, different backgrounds and completely different attitudes and experiences can connect in such a special way.

I got mine too from Swathi who blogs at Flightless Bird Thoughtful Wings. What’s more it arrived right on Friendship Day last month. What a coincidence! She had plenty to share having graduated recently. Her letter took me back to the time when I had just finished college. How confused I was! How unsure, yet excited! It was a privilege sharing a bit of her hopes and dreams, her dilemmas and her decisions. A letter is truly so much more than blogging.

I am hoping we can keep the connections going. How long has it been since you wrote to someone – really actually wrote? If you have a loved one in a far off land – your mum, a brother, a sister, a friend, a teacher – do pick up that pen and write to them. Then watch their surprise and pleasure, for nothing beats a handwritten labour of love.

Tag: writing letters

Setting up a tradition

Pen, paper and some thoughts