I have four instant messaging apps on my
phone.
I am connected to all of my favourite people through these apps. It’s absolutely brilliant that I can say hey to anyone, any time, anywhere and they receive it instantly, whether they are 10 or 10,000 miles away. They are especially useful for announcing news and milestones that simply cannot wait another moment.
Why then would I want to go through the
trouble of scribbling or typing words on sheets of paper (not to mention
constructing them to coherence), taking it to the post box, when one can easily
type the things one wants to say on a keypad and send it in seconds?
Is letter-writing an archaic and
irrelevant exercise in these days of instantaneous communication?
I should hope not. What letter writing
lacks in swiftness of delivery, it makes up for in soul.
In this age of hyper-busyness and multi-tasking,
letter writing is an exercise in being focused on a single task, a much needed
reprieve for our overloaded brains. I daresay this is not something that an IM
interaction can claim. Even if I am in a focused online chat with one of my
favorite people, it is so easy to get distracted and save a response for much
later, and sometimes, never. The very nature of instant messaging allows us to
interact while we are in the middle of other things that need our attention.
It’s not a bad thing; it is the way it is. While one can easily switch from one
application to another, writing a letter makes you stay put and present.
The other beauty of a letter is that it is
essentially a collection of unique character artifacts; the sender's handwriting, her doodles
on the margin, her choice of stationery and typeface, how she tells her story,
her purpose for writing. It is literally a piece of the writer in the hands of
its recipient. It is the most personal keepsake of a loved one one could ever
have.
I like to call handwritten letters, ‘love in the mail.’ I feel
all warm and fuzzy when I see an envelope addressed to me, one that isn’t a
utility bill. Reading a letter is an exercise in being in the present too. One
of the most delicious pleasures in life is sitting on the sofa, reading
a long and juicy letter from a friend, warm cup of coffee in hand. It almost
feels like she’s there having coffee with me.
I start to think about the exquisiteness of
how she made the effort to select stationery. How she determinedly set a block
of time and space in her busy day, affectionately thinking of me. How she took
a trip to the post office to get the letter going on its way. She may even have
sealed it with a kiss.
The letter is a very tangible expression of
fondness and for correspondents who share a history, love.
I am grateful for the ease of communication
and information sharing that instant messaging brings. But I know that every so
often, when there is a need for a more poignant connection, I will reach, not
for my phone, but my pen - and start scribbling away.
