The Joy of an Old-Fashioned Letter

Since the creation of the internet and sites like facebook, myspace, and just plain "old" email, it's a rare occasion to actually recieve a hand-written letter. Although instant communication is a great accomplishment for our generation, I believe there is some romance about real, hold-them-in-your-hand, rip-open-the-tongue-licked-seal letters. Letters are how people have been communicating and have served as a way to get to know the greats of the past. Take Vincent van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo for example. Without their constant correspondance, people today wouldn't know nearly as much as they do about van Gogh. In fact, the time period that van Gogh lived with his brother Theo in Paris, is the time in van Gogh's life that we know the least about simply because it was unnecessary for van Gogh to write his brother.

Today, I wish that people would spend a little extra time and write out a true letter. I know I would feel a lot more though-of upon recieving a handwritten letter in the mail, as opposed to a quick "wall-comment" on facebook. And, as an additional note, I think most people today don't actually know how to write. Internet communication requires zero dollars so most people don't care if they spell things right or actually get an intelligent point across. However, in the "oldendays" when people had to invest hard-earned money and time into stationary, stamps, envelopes, etc, people spent a little more time and thought getting just the right words down on paper. Penmanship was also considered to be an intelligent trait of a person, and today, if someone were to write me a letter, most of the time it would be illegible because people depend so strongly on keyboards to spell out their thoughts.

Basically, I just wish letter-writing was still valued in society, as it was when Jane Austin wrote Pride and Prejudice when Mr. Darcy would spend time each day writing letters and was admired for his skill of craftmanship in such.

Besides, who doesn't love stationary shopping?

One dad, exibition designer, Robert Guest wakes up at the crack of dawn and writes each of his two children, Joanna and Theo, a note each day for the past 15 years of their childhood. Here are some of the letters he wrote:

[Esopus]



What a great father!