Before we jump into all that, I want to answer Alyssa's question to me from her last post. Her question was "Whats your happiest memory with friends?" this is hard! I'm lucky to have so many fantastic memories with friends. I'd have to say that my favorite memory is when Alyssa and I rode our bikes in our town's annual 5k in support of cancer research. We biked to the point where volunteers were handing out water and made Inukshuks (little people shaped statues made from rocks to mark having been somewhere - from Inuit culture) on the beach before hopping back on our bikes to bike back to the BBQ. We had burgers and spent the rest of the day biking around and hanging out. Funny how the simplest things can be the best!
Alyssa and I stay in touch in many ways, texting and calling (video calling, more fun than audio only!) of course, but that's not all! Since she moved we've been writing and sending each other letters as often as we can. You might think that it sounds old fashioned, or say to yourself "Have they heard of email? Text messaging? Are they aware of which century it is?" and yes we know all these things, but hear me out.
Emails are faster a "modern" way of sending a letter, but it isn't the same as old fashioned snail mail. We prefer writing physical letter for many reasons, which I elaborated on in the rest of this post, but that's not to say we communicate solely through letters that take at least to weeks to reach each other.
When school got really busy and we both had a lot going on, we would call while getting other things done. Sometimes we'd call while brushing our teeth and getting ready for bed because we were to busy the rest of the day. Other times I'd send Alyssa an email because I was on my laptop anyway and still wanted to tell her about my week but didn't have time to write a nice letter with colored pens.
I guess my point is that if you're separated from close friends and/or family there are many ways to stay in touch, even if you have to get a little creative. However, I'm a big believer that more people should still write letters so buckle in kids, I'm about to convince you that letter writing is the thing you've been missing all of your life.
First of all, writing a letter is like freezing a moment in time (that sounded less dramatic in my head) and then sending it off to the recipient (presumably a friend in this case).
Second of all, It's nice to get something (like a letter) that has thought and effort put into it, complete with the scribbled out mistakes that give it personality.
When you write on paper, you're personality comes out way more than if you typed up a quick text or sent a spell checked email. Did I point out yet that auto correct won't rudely attack your message on paper?
Let's say I have convinced you to pick up a pen (or fine tip marker, I'm not here to judge you're life decisions) I will provide you with some fun ideas to spice up your letters.
When we (Alyssa and I) write each other letters we almost always use colored pens and chose a pattern to go with. Now, unless you have all day I would suggest to change colors every few lines and not every word. But hey, it's your letter go crazy!
Something I love doing (granted I'm using a standard sheet of paper and have folded it in thirds) is write the recipients name and give it some pzazz. For example, let's say I wrote a letter to Alyssa, well on the front of the letter I would write her name in block letters and fill in the empty space with doodles and designs.
The world is your ouster... write your friend a letter about it!
If theres one thing you take away from this (other than the fact that I'm a huge letter-writing nerd) I hope it's that if you can't see those who are closest to you, reach out, say hi, stay connected. Even a short text to let someone know you're thinking of then goes a long way! My question to Alyssa this time is "What is your favorite way to stay in touch with friends and family?" at this point I think it's clear I'm team letter writing.
Until next time!
Emeraude
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