When I was young my Nana, who lived a mile away, use to mail me letters and ‘interesting’ newspaper clippings written by advice columnist Ann Landers. She figured that being the rebel that I was, I might listen to Ann? Personally, I think she wasn't gutsy enough to just hand it to me...
When my Mom and I would argue, we would stop screaming and write each other letters to resolve even the most ridiculous argument. Almost thirty years later, seeing the letters that my mother wrote me with her perfect vocabulary and crappy penmanship, I smile knowing that it was all authentic to her.
Perhaps I am being nostalgic because it is Mother’s Day Sunday and I don’t have a mother anymore OR maybe it’s my love of letter writing and my concern that letter writing (and penmanship) is now a lost art.
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If we don’t start sending real mail, it could become a dinosaur like the vinyl record album or film in a camera. To make matters worse, schools are now saying that cursive (handwriting) is not required anymore.
So I ask you…don’t you still love to get a REAL letter in the mail instead of just advertisements and bills? With email, Facebook and Twitter, are we all too impatient to send REAL MAIL?
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SLOW DOWN… we don’t need to be in such a hurry.
Over 96% of our local mail gets delivered the next day. Remember, the U.S. Postal Service and their Letter Carriers do their job all year round, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” How many of you can say that about the other people in your life?
I do my part. Whether it’s a ‘giftie’, a note of encouragement or a love letter to a friend who might need it- I send out ‘happy mail’ once a week. Because I am super queer, I make mine ‘mail art’ and coat it with swirly writing, stickers and even candy taped inside.
So do something old-school, send a letter. If you want me to mail YOU a letter, let me know.
Sincerely, Laura Solomon
P.S. In the past 20 years, they've collected over a BILLION pounds of food for the less fortunate. So stick a can of food in your mailbox right now and help someone out.
Laura Solomon owns a old-school person-to-person marketing compan wordofmouthconsulting.biz and is the Author of Normal Life- Available in paperback here and on Kindle here.
