Oak Bazaar had a market stall many years ago at a Sydney Market and a group of teenage girls cheerfully walked past our stall, they looked at our writing paper range from a safe distance, then looked at each other slightly confused almost like they have travelled back in time. One of the girls said to her friends while pointing at the paper sets ‘What are these?’ What are you meant to do with them?
Really, has the art of letter writing skipped generations? Has the notion of pen to paper disappeared? No more pen pals or love letters?
If you think about it, it does make practical sense though. Why write a letter when you can write an email, send social media messages/photos, make a phone call or send a text? Technology is instant, hey we are doing it now with our website and Facebook page. But who really prints Facebook messages or emails and keeps them and from time to time bring them out for a laugh or simply to remember.
Pen to paper can be seen as outdated or a dying art. But why can’t the postman deliver something exciting instead of bills or junk mail? Wouldn’t it be refreshing to receive a hand written letter on beautiful paper in the post?
To read kind words or an update from someone special in a letter is a rare treat. Knowing someone took the time to write it, makes it much more meaningful. It is permanent. Once written, you can read it over and over again, and cherish it time after time, knowing that someone cared enough to take the time to put pen to paper. After all, writing is not an automatic response. It requires thought, concentration and effort.
