Wait A Minute Mr. Postman....

Handwritten letters are a dying art. The penmanship, the stationery, the content - a letter written on paper is far more intimate than an email could ever hope to be. An email is a means to an end, while  a letter is a conversation.

Getting a letter in my mailbox brings little butterflies to my stomach. I note the envelope, the return address (I even love it more if the return address is unfamiliar - a little mystery really can brighten the day). I can barely contain myself as I run to the kitchen to grab a butterknife (who has letter openers any more? I once bought my brother a Glamdring letter opener. Now that's a fancy way to open a letter!) 

Sometimes you can read your letter with a group of people around. Sometimes you have to find somewhere private to read the news it holds. Either way, just the thought that someone thought it was worthwhile to take the time to write you a letter brings even the most mundane information to life in a way you never thought possible. The joy of receiving something other than junk mail is hard to quantify. 

Did you know that most schools don't teach cursive script anymore? Hen scratching students are more likely to learn keyboarding before being able to comprehend traditional manuscript font. I've already met many children who would rather get the chicken pox than not type out their message on a computer. The day will come when even doctors will have to print in block letters, and still not understand that.

I will admit that I am a romantic when it comes to letter writing. One of my muses, the esteemed Edward Gorey, was an avid letter writer and illustrator. His envelope art is impressive, stylish and witty. I doubt most post offices would know what to do, should a letter such as his come through the system - there's no mechanized process for understanding art.

I will also blame the great Jane Austen for her literary depictions of letter-writing for giving me a fond predisposition to the handwritten epistle, but that is another story entirely. However, if there's a man out there who wants to woo me Captain Wentworth style via dispatch, I'm totally down for that - woo away!

If you really want to connect with someone, but find yourself too far away to do so in person, grab a pen and paper, jot down a few thoughts, ask them how they are, and slap a stamp on that! Believe me, you'll make their day, and you'll have infinitely more catharsis than sending a Facebook message.

You get bonus points from me if you can turn your missive into artwork as well.