Pick up Your Pen & Paper

My Aunt M. is the best letter writer. For as long as I can remember Christmas and birthday cards always came with 2-3 fabulous chatty pages telling you all about the comings-and-goings in Maplewood, MN. Given that my immediately family was in Florida, this was a lovely way to be kept apprised of the extended family - probably more so for my parents - but nonetheless I always enjoyed the letters. However, as a self-involved kid, teenager, and 20-something it never accorded to me to respond; that is until about 2 years ago when I made a New Year's resolution to be a good pen pal. 

As I entered my 30s, I started to crave closer family connections and these letters seemed like a nice way to cement a bond with my Minnesota family. I realized that I really looked forward to getting those two letters a year and that if I responded I would get to hear about what was happening to the family all year long. Plus, who doesn't love getting real mail. So that January I wrote back to Aunt M.'s Christmas card. It was a short chatty note recapping my Christmas visit and New Years. Nothing life changing, but something. And sure enough a few weeks later, I got another letter from Aunt M. with updates on all my cousins, aunts, and uncles. There is something really nostalgic about getting an actual piece of mail filled with stories and gossip and updates on the ones you love. And as we got into a rhythm I started to realize that this wasn't just about the connection it was also about changing my perspective on my life. Each time I put pen to paper, I would recap the last few weeks or months and give her a snippet into my life -  in doing so I would find myself focusing on all the good things going on and it made me realize just how many there were. Within a few months, my letters were just as long and chatty as hers. I was officially a letter writer. 

Two years later and we are still going strong. It isn't always perfect, with the craziness of the last few months I just responded to her letter from late August, but in doing so I was able to put the last two months in perspective: Sure I worked way more than I would have liked, but in recapping those two months I was able to focus on the visits from 4 friends, a trip to Disney World, time with my mom, new challenges and victories at work, and so many other funny and fabulous moments that were easily lost in the everyday living. One hour sitting on my porch and all of the sudden the last two months take on a whole new look and beyond that, in sending this letter tomorrow, I know that in a few weeks I will get a similar peek into my family's life across the country. It is a lovely tradition that I am so glad I have begun and hopefully this will inspire you to pick up your pen and paper and send a note to someone you love - I promise they will appreciate the effort and you may be surprised about what it will end up meaning to you!