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Thursday, June 27, 2013

the endangered joys of snail mail


New York and Company chambray shirt, thrifted
Halogen skirt, Nordstrom Rack
necklace and rings, Forever 21

        You are probably tired of seeing this skirt and shirt, but I'm not tired of them yet ... so here they are again. :) Looking at the photos, one thing I would change next time is to knot the necklace to make it a little shorter - I think a shorter length would be more flattering.
        Recently, I sent a small gift and a letter to a friend for her birthday. She e-mailed me yesterday to thank me, nothing that "you are my only friend who writes letters anymore, and it's such a blessing." Truth be told, I think I enjoyed writing the letter as much as she (hopefully) enjoyed reading it. There's something wonderful about sitting down with a pretty card or good stationery, a reliable pen, and ordering my thoughts, feelings, and experiences for sharing. E-mail is fast and cheap, but it doesn't compare to the joy of sending and receiving snail mail. There's nothing like taking a moment to trace the familiar lines of a good friend's writing and find out how they're doing.
        Many years ago, extensive written communication was a given - if you read novels set in certain time periods and places, the characters often exchange notes and letters daily. People also kept detailed, daily journals - it's been such a treat to get a glimpse of some of my favorite writers' day-to-day experiences. I wonder what we will use to get a similar glimpse into the lives of today's greatest artists and thinkers - Facebook statuses? e-mails? tweets? blog posts?
        Thinking back to my intermediate-school days, I marvel at how many letters my sister and I exchanged with friends. I can't remember what we wrote about, but I remember that they were written on folder paper, often meticulously penned in a glittery rainbow of ink, then carefully folded for in-person delivery. Do today's middle-schoolers still do this? Or have Facebook messages and texts supplanted the allure of glittery pens and secret folding techniques?

     
      When was the last time you wrote or received a "snail-mail" letter?

6 comments:

  1. Loving that skirt Carrie! And snail mail is the best :)

    Annie

    The Other Side of Gray

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  2. I love to get and receive snail mail
    I am stationery obsessed and send snail mail all the time
    Brett

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  3. I like the skirt :) we all have our pieces that we wear all the time. Snail mail is dwindling away but my grandma send me letters and I write her back via snail mail. I bet your friend was so happy to have a birthday surprise in her mailbox from you!

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  4. Thanks, Annie! Houndstooth is one of my favorite patterns. :)

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  5. Yay - I'm glad that you're still an active letter writer! There's something special about using pretty stationery. :)

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  6. Thanks, Em! I like this skirt because of the print, but also because the knit is so soft and comfortable. :) It's great that you get letters from your grandma - I still have letters my grandma sent to me when I was living in California!

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