Do you ever get personal mail anymore?
A card or letter addressed to you without that little window telling
you someone wants to slip their fingers into your wallet?
When you do – if you do – doesn't
it make you smile?
Though separated by distance, writing a
letter is like spending time with the recipient. They fill our
thoughts as we write. They know that we have set aside time just for
them in order to write the letter. I know that she will be able to
read my thoughts, my stories when she has time, maybe over a cup of
tea in the evening. She will be able to return to it again and
again... so I'd better make it worth the reading of it!
I have one friend in particular I write
long letters to. We were nearly half a country apart for many years
with little opportunity to be in the same room together, and while a
phone conversation would bring her immediately into my presence and
was satisfying in its own way, writing a letter allowed me to set the
scene, describe a humorous event, share snippets of something I'd
recently read that I knew she would enjoy. I could picture her in the
comfy chair she had in her kitchen window, cat in her lap, tea and
cookies beside her. I knew she would laugh out loud, prompting her
husband to ask to hear it, and she would share the letter with him.
Not only does she have the freedom to
take her time with the reading of it, doing so as time and
inclination allow, but I also have the luxury of time with the
writing of it. I can put down the pen in order to look up that funny
bit in the book I wanted to share with her; I can answer the phone
when call display reveals my mother's number; I can go for a walk
when I've been sitting too long and come back to it reinvigorated and
freshly inspired.
A letter is a connection. I will hold
the same paper you did. I can tell something of your mood by the
state of your penmanship. I admire the paper you chose.
“What's so often missing in our lives
today is the richness of shared humanity, those moments when we feel
really connected to other human beings. The act of writing personal
notes not only feeds our own soul, but also lets us share ourselves
with other – offering hope, affirming life, connecting.
But let's clarify. Although we have the
great advantage of advanced technology and electronic gadgets that
keep us instantly and constantly in touch, we often feel a deep void
that can only be filled when we take a moment to reflect, experience,
and reach out for another. Ironically, the can come from something as
old-fashioned and simple as writing a personal note.” (Personal
notes / Sandra E Lamb)
Writing a letter is 'slow
communication' and like other slow movements, it's an indicator of
the desire for a more intentional life. It is a creative act, an
expression of self. Women, being relational creatures, do poorly in
isolation. We need to connect with others; the sending and receiving
of letters is a beautiful way to establish that connection.
~-~-~-~-~-
Admitting to a fondness for the
handwritten note results in a spectrum of reactions from appalled
disbelief, to rosey-lensed nostalgia, to enthusiastic glee. Many
people think composing by hand is outdated and a waste of time –
why not use a computer with spell check? (I edited an article
recently in which concur was used when conquer was meant. Good job,
spell check!)
Tired of defending my position with the
good-old-days argument, I began to research the merits of handwriting
(some of which research involved long, ranting conversations with my
sister. We solve many of the world's problems in this manner.) but it
turns out there are benefits to pen and paper, and even
benefits to cursive over printing. Here are a few:
In school, notes taken by hand are
remembered more clearly than notes tapped into a computer.
The physical act of holding and moving
a pen (or pencil, naturally) engages the brain in ways typing does
not. It involves areas of the brain used for thinking, language, and
memory – not so with typing which entails one action to form a
letter. Cursive actually uses both hemispheres of the brain.
The ability to spell well increases
with handwriting over typing – its about muscle memory as well as
time and attention.
Children taught to print are quicker to
learn letter recognition and to develop certain learning centres of
the brain. In fact, MRI studies have shown that children who have
letter instruction have neural activity similar to an adult's.
It also helps develop fine motor
skills.
Writing by hand is more beneficial for
formulating ideas and expression.
Test takers who answer by hand
typically score higher, with more complete answers.
The handwritten requires focus. Focus
is good, especially for the distractable among us. We are more
focused when we write because the reticular activating system is
stimulated. Its job is to give more importance to what you are
actively focused on at that moment.
When composing by hand, we tend to
think first, write second. The order is often reversed when a
keyboard enters the picture.
As for cursive over printing, the
learning of it is much easier, and there are advocates for teaching
children penmanship before printing. Think of a preliterate child
giving you a story they've written. It is a page filled with loops,
formed from bottom to top then back down, from left to right
(mostly). The motion is natural and fluid with the pen not leaving
the page until the end of the word. That is another benefit, as then
spacing rules are clear – a novice printer leaves awkward spacing
between letters and words clouding comprehension. Because the strokes
are consistent, learning letter formation is much easier than when
printing which has multiple starting points.
~-~-~-~-
When it comes to every day life, there
are undisputed benefits of technology. Email and texting have their
place. But for the personal, the meaningful, the intimate, nothing
surpasses a handwritten communication.
