Today as we post this, December 7, among other commemorations, is National Letter Writing Day. Letter Writing Day is an unusual fun holiday in that it isn’t sponsored by some commercial interest to spark sales of cards or note papers. It just is. Although the origin is not clear, in the United States it seems to date to the Civil War period, perhaps to encourage families to stay in touch with loved ones on the fields of battle. We say in the United States because other countries also celebrate letter writing with days, weeks, even entire months, and there is a World Letter Writing Day celebrated on 1 September each year.
If it seems odd that we are devoting a blog post to such an antiquated mode of communication, it isn’t at all. Letter writing fits very well with the ROAMcare mission. Gathering your thoughts, taking the time to put pen to paper, and knowing you are doing something special is a certain way to refresh your enthusiasm for life and provide motivation to yourself and the message recipient.
In a day of quick text messages, instantaneous emails, and character limited social media posts, letter writing sets you free to pour your thoughts completely onto the page with no limit to length or style. You can be as succinct as you wish but you will likely find yourself filling at least one entire page with otherwise unspoken thoughts. You can write without an electronic proctor correcting your spelling or pointing out poor word choices and grammatical errors. You can be as personal as you wish and as intimate as you desire. Although it has been called one, letter writing does not have to be an art form. Anybody can do it!
As rare as letter writing has become, think of the excitement the recipient will experience upon seeing your letter among the sales flyers, credit card invitations, and bills and invoices that typically spill from their mailbox. How could they not also be motivated to return the favor and pen an answering message. They may even extend the excitement to others and write letters to their own unsuspecting friends and maybe future new pen-pals.
Today connect with someone special in a special way. Put pen to paper, add a note to a greeting card, or dash off a picture post card from wherever you are. You will find yourself refreshed, having participated in an activity that goes back millennia. And in a few days, when your addressee opens the mail, it will a be a special, you might even say noteworthy day for them!
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