Yours Truly

This Thursday’s MAD post is very personal. It is one from the heart. Not my heart. From your heart. It is cheap, as well. What could be better than cheap and heartfelt? Let’s look at a special way to Make A Difference.

What is there about pen and paper? Or for that matter, pencil? In order to get something written with pen or pencil, someone has to take the time to sit down and write by hand. No email. No typing. No texting. Just writing.

When was the last time you wrote something? Not sat in front of your screen or with your smart phone in your palms…really truly wrote something? When was the last time you wrote that something to someone? Can you recall the last thank you note you wrote?

Numbers

Every week, the average person is inundated with messages.

  • 1.5 personal letters
  • 11 pieces of junk mail
  • 22 texts
  • 680+ emails

The number of texts seems a bit low (I know of one daughter who sends more than 10,000 per month.), but the rest of the numbers are right in line. Of those two personal letters, not many are handwritten.

Appreciate Me

You would be hard pressed to present a person who does not like to have their efforts noticed and appreciated. Every single person wants to get acknowledgement and gratitude. Wouldn’t you like for one of your 1.5 letters to be something proving someone knew you had done something to make a difference?

What’s in the box?

Mail

Mail's in!

My sister is the queen of writing notes and cards (and making post cards). She does it because she (rightly) believes there should be something in the mail box which does not contain a response envelope or a demand for money.

Opening the letter box and finding something hand addressed instantly warms the heart and makes it flutter. Someone took the time to write something specifically for you. Whatever is in the envelope is intimately yours.

Tied With a Bow

Seventy years ago, it would not be uncommon to find in a hat box in any random closet a bundle of envelopes wrapped with a ribbon. They would have been filled with love letters or merely familial updates or birthday and holiday wishes. The treasured letters would be read and reread as the writers passed the recipients memories…fodder for nostalgia.

In the age of the four-dollar Hallmuck card, handwritten notes are rare. At the same store, a pack of stationery or a package of thank you cards are less expensive than a single card. Have you seen the blank card stock cards with their lovely images and crisp inside, begging for you to pen?

Action Plan

1. Choose one person.

Whether it is a family member, a colleague, a friend, someone who you have not spoken to in a while (or a really long time), choose someone you want to thank for what s/he brings to your life.

2. Choose a medium.

Postcard: Small writing space.
Blank inside greeting card/Thank you note:  Little more space
Stationery: As many pages as you would like to write
Ballpoint/gel writer/paint pen, pencil, crayon, calligraphy pen, charcoals, etc.

3.  Communicate

Thank You Card

Just a simple note...

Put into words how this person makes your world a better place. Is it his philosophy of life? Is it her compassionate way? Is it his attention to detail? Is it the way she remembers to call you? Make your note as personal as possible. Show your appreciation with warmth and sincere gratitude. Say, Thank you. This person makes a difference in your life.

4. Extras

You can personalize your note with special touches which mean something to you or your recipient. Add things like:

  • Fragrance
  • Stamps
  • Newspaper or magazine clipping
  • Drawings (in or on the envelope)
  • Stickers
  • A fortune (as in fortune cookie)
  • A bookmark
  • Confetti
  • Memorabilia
  • Photographs

5. Send it.

Bette Davis Stamp

Not Postage Due

As soon as you have sealed the envelope, put a stamp on it, put it in the mailbox and raise the flag. It does no good to be sitting on the kitchen cabinet waiting. No stamps in the house? Go to the post office. Pick up a book whilst you are there. It will save money on gas the next time you write a note.

Make A Difference

How many text messages have you sent this week? Too many to count? How many emails? The number makes you dizzy. Chances are pretty good you have not written a note by hand to anyone this week. Start today.

When you are choosing your person, make a list of the people who make a difference in your life. You may even think of someone who you have not seen in ages, but who you think about every time you __________.

When you get lost, which directionally-challenged friend comes to mind? When you take up your favorite sport, about which teammate or opponent do you think? When you make your favorite recipe, which chef comes to mind?

Can you make this a habit? You can increase someone’s personal letter rate each week. It costs less than a dollar to write and mail a note to someone special. Time for you to MAD.

~~~~~~~~~~

When was the last time you got a handwritten note? When was the last time you wrote one? Did you have a pen pal when you were a child?

~~~~~~~~~~

One bit of business: Have you taken a scroll over to the Welcome Home page? Comment and then go see the newest!

(c) Ann Marie Dwyer
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37 Comments

  1. No comment, but there’s no like button.
    Great piece. Perhaps I’ll do this…

    Reply
    • Red

       /  March 8, 2012

      This is a good one. I am working on some semblance of a like button. Just not really good on the choices I have…It is a good thing to do, even if the first (and only) person you choose is that beautiful wife of yours.

      Reply
      • Funny that you say that. On my trip to Indiana, one of the bars had postcards as coasters.
        I grabbed it but couldn’t find a post office.

        but it’s still in my bag here as I sit at my desk.
        Hmm….

        Reply
  2. Personal communication by letter is almost a lost art, perhaps one of the most significant undesirable effects of internet telecommunications. Such is ‘progress’. Actually a poignant and touching post, Red.

    Reply
    • Red

       /  March 8, 2012

      I adore opening the letter box for such things as cards and postcards from my family. We are still supporting the postal service…especially when it is not a holiday designated by Hallmuck.

      Reply
  3. Awh so true, I used to write letters often to friends and family. I have a friend I corresponded with for 30 yrs. We email now ;(
    great post!
    smiles, Rx

    Reply
    • Red

       /  March 8, 2012

      I have to put in into my calendar to remember. But I love responding to the ones I get. I love penpals!

      Reply
  4. Great post!
    I still write letters to family and friends. I never did let the computer world replace that…just add to it.

    Reply
  5. I’m probably the only dude on the face of the planet who has never sent a text. Pretty sure it would take me an hour to figure it out. Yeah, I’m ‘that guy’.
    Hey… maybe I should send my wife a letter and mail it to our apartment? She’d probably be shocked. She might even like it, too.
    🙂

    Reply
    • Red

       /  March 8, 2012

      I am sure it would delight her…especially if you managed to keep sending it a secret!

      Reply
    • Hey SIG I like this delightful idea of romanticism as it offers such a wonderful edge to any relationship, and if written with pen and ink, nooooo not a biro, then it will add to the sweetness of the moment…

      I like that notion my great friend…

      Androgoth

      Reply
      • Red

         /  March 8, 2012

        And with his artistic skill, I can only imagine the images on the corner of the envelope or the stationery…

        Reply
  6. Phrase-worthy…

    “four-dollar Hallmuck card”

    Love it.

    And I do hand-write thank you notes and invitations. It is painstaking for me. A letter ends up a garbled mess that I cannot read myself, let alone anyone else.

    Reply
    • I DO wish the comments had an edit feature. Leave out one word or letter…

      A letter ends up a garbled mess that I myself cannot read, let alone anyone else.

      Reply
      • Red

         /  March 8, 2012

        LOL! I will correct it when I get back to my office. No edit on mobile 😉
        Red.

        Reply
    • Red

       /  March 8, 2012

      Lol! My handwriting can be abominable. I have to really pay attention to it when I write to others.

      Reply
  7. Well I was actually writing with a pen and ink this very morning, indeed I do most days as one can really feel the flowing of one’s thoughts when getting back to basics as it were.

    You know it makes a lot of sense to write, rather than to text or use a keyboard as it enhances ones authenticity in what can only be described as a unique way of communiqué, besides I like to write with pen and ink, of course I could just be a tad prehistoric but I like to think of this as a necessary part of one’s life, as adding thoughts directly to paper is far more rewarding than using any other process, well in my own opinion it is anyway but I am certain that there will be those that hate writing with a pen or pencil…

    Have a fun rest of evening Red 🙂
    And by the way, I like how your Space
    is looking, you have done very well 🙂

    Androgoth XXx

    Reply
  8. Red

     /  March 8, 2012

    ‘Tis getting somewhere nearer where I want it. Still too many codes to write!

    I write most all of my poetry in pencil or charcoal. The one for this week’s Muse was written in pen with the same spacing as it hit the screen.

    When it comes to letters, especially love letters, I really prefer them by hand.

    Have a wondrous night, Andro.
    Red.

    Reply
    • Yes in love it has to be with pen and paper or more intimately, one on one…

      The words that are spoken are etched within the mind and delivered straight to the heart…

      Be well Red 🙂

      Androgoth XXx

      Reply
  9. I do now and then send notes, cards and care packages. But must fall on my sword, I would rather pick up the phone.

    Reply
    • Red

       /  March 8, 2012

      And every once in a while, all three at the same time 😉 For me, as long as pick up the phone means speaker phone or Blue Tooth…me, too.

      Reply
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