This piece of writing is dedicated to my good pal Serena. The one who excels in written correspondence, be it an inspirational note, thank you card, or that special occasion garland.
“I love writing thank you notes. There’s something very nostalgic to me about the feel of a card and putting pen to paper. How many times in our lives are we required to put pen to paper anymore?” – Taylor Swift
Continuing my quest to show gratitude, I have a deep affection for pen, paper and handwritten words. From my grandmothers’ recipe cards to shuffling through years of celebration stationary received, Taylor hits the nail on the head when she states there is something nostalgic about putting pen to paper. In an ever-evolving world that doesn’t require one to write much more than their signature (and that is scarce at times) I am truly grateful I was raised in a time of cursive writing in school and finding some inner peace with a pad of paper and pencil.
I must admit that writing thank you notes is not my superpower. I recall reading an article decades ago of how Princess Diana would take time to hand write notes on her personal stationary. I marveled at her commitment to the task and deep downed wished I possessed that drive. She famously answered many of the 47,000 letters of congratulation and 10,000 gifts when just 21 years old for her and Prince Charles wedding in 1981. Woman’s World, reported that she insisted that both Prince William and Prince Harry write letters to thank anyone who helped them because she “wanted to ingrain a sense of appreciation into her two sons” A tradition worthy of passing down to the next generation. What an incredible skill to achieve. The art of penmanship is slowing slipping through our fingers.
Me, well I am more of a collector of all thing’s correspondence. At any given time, I have stacks of colorful paper, witty greeting cards, decades old thank you notes and a never-ending supply of writing instruments. In a world filled with text message, emojis, emails and even acronyms what has happen to the written word? And can taking the time to be the author flex a muscle in your brain of thought and wonder? This past September I decided to do a little experiment of my own on the true power of a little old fashion communication.
What was the theory of this research? Unsure how the statement would read, but it included reaching out to four friends, with a handwritten note for absolutely no reason at all. Truth be told, I was measuring the “boomerang” effect, how quickly would the message reach the recipient and make its way back to me in a form of receipt confirmation. Jacky’s writing experiment official hypothesis: “The written word will serve as a catalyst for inspiring organic communication among individuals.”
The specimens were four longtime friends and the instruments were simple greeting cards.
Three of the four cards had only a message on the front, leaving the inside wide open for written word.
“The world is full of idiots, except us, we’re awesome”
“I miss your sweet ass”
“Dear Diary, Today my friends invited me to go camping so I made a list of things I will need 1. New Friends”
&
“We should do a podcast of us drinking and laughing.”
(inside) “They would love us”.
(Side note, my card collection is very much like my organization containers, I never just buy one. If I find a card that lights up my soul, I purchase multiple copies.)
My friends selected in order of the cards were Tisha (we have an inside credo of being relentlessly awesome), Shawna (the card had two friends walking on a beach and we talk during our daily walks, just 2,215 miles apart), Serena (she finds just about anything I say funny) and Brandy, for obvious reasons, we think we can find humor with or without a glass of bubbles in hand. Next, I took the time to hand write a note that filled every inch of the blank canvas the document offered. Sharing my value of each of them in my life and a few special words that could connect us even though we were miles apart. Finally, I addressed the parcels of written word and placed them in the mail. The date was Friday, August 30 and the location was Las Vegas, Nevada. All the cards were sent to addresses in California. Now to wait for my results.
My first response arrived via a text six days later. As expected, Serena, not only was the first to respond, but delivered a sweet text complete with a photo of the card. The outcome of the rest of the experiment was truly up for grabs. Life and work events, punctuality of getting daily mail and communication styles made the guessing game ridiculously hard to call. Low and behold, the text sound chimed three days later. Shawna, my best friend since first grade, received her handwritten note. Brandy text a few days later with a sweet thank you and Tisha called which turned into one of our hour-long chats. (I have shared all their responses for your enjoyment, hopefully they grant me this latitude.)
The outcome proved that my original notion was true. Old fashion, deliberate acts of reaching out with the written word have a more profound effect on a soul than our constant cyber chatter. Let’s be honest, how many emails and texts do you ignore a day? Better yet, isn’t just easier to let that call go to voice mail? But a piece of mail is hard not to open and read.
I am grateful for my handwriting skills and my knack for communicating thoughtfully with pen and paper. Being the ultimate “but, what if” girl I can’t help but wonder if a rebirth of this sacred art form is within reach. But what if we took a “note” from Princess Di and shared with the younger generation the importance of writing. Be it a letter, a story, or a simple thank you note. Who knows a trend for the ages could just be signature away.
“You can make anything by writing” – C.S. Lewis
a little bit about a lot of things 