The Art of a Handwritten Note

written in April 2015

I’m a snail mail enthusiast. I love letters: writing them and receiving them. I love little notes and get way too excited about new post-its or cute stationery.

The thought of handwritten notes completely being replaced by a text message, a Facebook post, or an email makes me sad. For me, when something is handwritten, the connection and thoughtfulness speaks more loudly than when something is typed.

I saw a Facebook post from a mentor the other day. She posted a picture of a box of handwritten notes from junior high and expressed her sadness when she realized her children will never have a box of notes like this someday; all their notes will be lost (or preserved forever) in cyberspace.

This broke my heart. There are boxes and boxes of notes from my middle school/early high school years still in my parents’ basement somewhere. Those notes were how many of my early friendships were built and without them, I do not know how close we would be today. Without those handwritten notes, those friendships may not have been as deep and meaningful. I will always believe that there is something about putting a pen to paper and folding it like a football.

I challenge you this month to write a few more notes. Leave one for your partner in a surprise location. Stick one onto a coworker’s computer, just to say hi. Write a letter, buy a stamp, and mail one to an old friend. Write a note to yourself reminding you how amazing you are and stick it to your mirror.

When’s the last time you received a handwritten note? How did it make you feel?