We had a friend named Stu who was from NYC and had a life foreign to our way of 'doing life'. He was a criminal lawyer who, in his own words, "spent considerable time in the bowels of the NYC jail system". He ate out every meal (true!), used elevators, loved sending books to people, was very funny and engaging and you could be in his company for hours and never say a word…and everything he expounded on was interesting! Once I sent him a thank you note and he immediately called and said it made his day, that it was the first handwritten care note he had received in years and thank you for the thank you; a phone call for a handwritten note.
So why do I sometimes respond to Ron or Kate by email? Why do most of us resort to phone calls, texts and emails (that depends on what generation you are from)? Generally a handwritten note is
time-consuming and requires a bit of vulnerability. In truth, for most, it seems a little old-fashioned or has never been in life's repertoire. For most, the norm is instant and electronic communication.
So here is a kick… I googled handwritten notes and found a site that offers:
Fake a Handwritten note with these 4 online services- and sells the idea with "Send what essentially looks like a handwritten note or card, lovingly composed from the comfort of your laptop." Now that seems a bit over the top to me.
Do you send thank you notes for gifts or to acknowledge someone's hard work? How long has it been since you last wrote a handwritten letter to someone you love? Really, what's the point when we can just send an email or text, right?
Perhaps you might consider...
- they're thoughtful
- it's a nice gesture
- makes people feel special
- it's exciting to open
- great way to encourage or brighten someone's day
I show my age here, born of the Baby Boomer generation. I am certain, from working with Millennials, that I am not on the 'current' path of communication. I do however understand that for them, instant is the only path they know. I do understand that if I want to communicate with someone 20+ years younger than I, that I must text them. But in a stack of bills and flyers, it’s a treasure to me to find a sealed envelope. It is a visceral reminder of someone far away, someone who cares.