(or: Why I Keep Licking Envelopes, Like It’s 1894).
Look, I get it.
The world is fast. It is chaotic. It is so bloody noisy.
It’s fast like “I just blinked and it’s next Wednesday” kinda fast.
Fast like texts that say “u up?” and vanish into the void 3 seconds later.
Fast like emails that pile up like guilt; unread and looming.
But here’s the thing: a handwritten letter laughs in the face of all that speed. It is slow. On purpose. Like a rebellion, but in cursive. It will hurt your hand like crazy, but it is always worth it.
Why Write Letters When You Could Just Text?
Texting is so 2005!
Sending a text that says: “Thinking of you!”
When a letter could say: “I thought of you yesterday, when I passed that place we went on our first date. I thought of you this morning, as I sat down with this really weird pen that always smudges and I remembered that time it threw up all over your favourite shirt.”
Letters aren’t just a type of communication. They are a ritual. A magical spell. A secret handshake between two people. One thing that that running Letters from Poppy has taught me though…don’t underestimate the power of an envelope! I don’t think I’ve ever truly appreciated the magic of an envelope until I bought the yellow ones for this business.
Honestly, why buy boring white ones when you can have stunning yellow envelopes.
In Defence of Messy Handwriting and Questionable Doodle
Bullet Journals temporarily ruined writing by hand, for me.
The internet, for a long while, bombarded us with these wonderfully beautiful art works masquerading as bullet journals. With their perfect lines, colourful banners and absolute precision, it was easy to back away from it, because my own handwriting and drawing skills were never on par.
But the thing is: No one cares.
No one is judging your messiness. They don’t give two hoots about the coffee stains, the smudge marks or the way your handwriting starts out really neat and precise, before melting into indecipherable garbage.
When you write a letter to someone, it is about what you say, not how it looks.
What you write is about YOU and you alone, it is your thoughts and represent a tiny part of you.
I also think there is something nice and comforting knowing someone held the same paper as the one you’re holding; that they spent time writing what is in it, and they did that just for you, no one else.
You don’t get that feeling on Tik Tok.
Letters are Permanent
More over, letters don’t disappear into the endless abyss of a timeline, or get buried by 52 new messages and notifications.
They wait patiently for you to sit down, open them, and absorb them. Again. And again.
They don’t fade into the noise.
They sit in shoeboxes, in between the pages of a favourite books. And when you really need them, they are there, waiting for you.
It could be days, weeks, months, even years later, but they will always be there for you. They might even be louder than the first time you read them, but more than anything they can offer you comfort, a warm hug, and a place of safety.
So, Why Do I Still Send Letters?
Well, everything I said already pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?
Letters are messy, they are raw, and they cannot be edited. They are a reflection of who you are, without the filters or the glossiness.
You don’t write letters expecting likes or comments of “that looks great, hun!”.
What are you waiting for? Go write a letter. You don’t have to send it. In fact, sometimes, it’s better if you don’t.