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Dear Friend: Why Writing Letters Still Matters So what if mailing a letter to grandma isn’t as convenient as e-mail? Sending old-fashioned correspondence can keep your mind sharp, your loved ones close and your history intact 
Thanks to e-mail, instant messaging and mobile texting, it’s easier than ever to communicate with people who don’t live or work nearby. It’s hard to imagine a time when you had to write out your thoughts, address and stamp an envelope and send your greetings via mail. Though today’s long-distance communication is faster, is it really better? Maybe not. Some stalwarts believe that opening an actual letter will always be more fun – and more meaningful – than anything electronic. Lonna Riedinger of North Oaks, Minn., publishes The Letter Exchange, a magazine she says is for “a community of people who enjoy writing letters and getting to know people in the process.” The Letter Exchange prints articles on the “world of letter writing” and provides pen-pal listings that connect letter writers around the world. Riedinger says that the organization appeals to people who don’t want to give up the joy of writing – or receiving – good, old-fashioned snail mail, or lose out on handwritten artifacts for later generations to discover. “Letter writing lets people express themselves in a slower, more reflective back-and-forth exchange,” says Riedinger. “People are more likely to think for a while about what they’re going to say, search for the right word and have fun with the letter.” Without reading a word, Riedinger says she can tell a lot about a person by the kind of letter they send. “I get a sense of their personality from the physical letter: one writes on floral stationery or art cards, another types letters on the back of community fund-raising flyers, a third illustrates his letters with cartoons.” Indeed, the communication begins when the writer selects the paper for his or her letter. If an old notebook and a ballpoint pen don’t inspire, a trip to the nearest stationery store just might. “A beautiful card can be very inspiring,” says Rita Allison, proprietor of A La Carte, a stationery store she opened in Evanston, Ill., seven years ago. “A lot of times, people will come in looking specifically for a birthday card, but they’ll be inspired by the images and papers of a blank card, instead.” Allison doesn’t feel that letter writing is going anywhere, even in a fast-paced, instant-messaging world. “If anything, the Internet has made letter writing better. E-mail is a great way to keep in touch. Your aunt’s birthday is easier to remember if you’re in contact with her on a regular basis – you’ll remember to send her a card!” And don’t think you can get away with one of those “e-greetings.” According to one card-shopper, they just don’t cut the muster, nor do they serve as a keepsake that you can cherish as time goes by. “I don’t think anyone puts as much stock into an e-mailed birthday greeting,” says Jessica Gimeno, a Chicago resident who frequents shops like A La Carte. “It’s easy to send those things: When you buy a card and send it through the mail, it shows you really thought about that person.” |
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