Write
letters and send postcards
The things that make me the happiest
have an emotional and physical effect. And even more so when you do something for
someone else. One of the most lasting of
these things is a personal letter.
Being born in the transitional time between letters and
computers, many people in my generation have already shunned snail mail as a
way to communicate. This makes them rare, but a very inexpensive surprise. My
grandmother was one of seven children, and they communicated with a round-robin
letter. From mailbox to mailbox, they would add an update on their life and
send it around to the next sibling. She taught me that letters are a valuable
form of communication, something she’s emphasized as her memory slowly fades.
I got into the habit of writing letters and during the times
where I was most stressed, a paper due, a newspaper deadline, or turmoil, I
would write a letter. Letters live somewhere between thoughts and stories. They
are a confidant and a piece of yourself that you can choose to scrap or share.
When I receive a letter, especially from someone who I
haven’t heard from in awhile, I get a rush of endorphins, because I’m holding
proof that the friend considered me. It’s the same rush I get when someone is
thoughtful or goes out of their way to help me. Most friends reciprocate with a
call to say how happy they were to open a personal note rather than another
bill or W-2.
I followed epistolary literature in college, often using my
break from studying as a chance to write letters. Perhaps letters will go the
way of Wells Fargo wagons, but I’ll single-handedly support the post office as
long as my friends have addresses and my fingers can write. Letters are my
personal therapy, my rush of endorphins, my connection with those I love, and
my alone time—my regular serving of happiness.
As the old Jimmy Durante song goes, “make someone happy.” A
thoughtful, hand-written letter will do that EVERY TIME!
It's so important to make someone
happy.
Make just one someone happy…
Fame, if you win it,
comes and goes in a
minutes
.
Where's the real stuff in life, to cling to?
Love is the answer!
Make someone happy.
Make just one someone
happy.
And you will be happy too.
