Earlier today I was thinking about when I was in 5th grade and in English class. We were learning about writing letters and our teacher had set up a pen pal system. Our English class would send letters to another English class on the other side of the U.S. She sent around a list and we got to choose a name off the list and write a letter to that person. I remember I had this pen pal until the summer before entering high school. Her name was Jeri. I have long since lost her mailing address (doubt she'd remember me anyhow).
But as I thought about all those letters, pictures, and memories we shared for almost 4 years I started to miss it. Sure I write to my friends on a daily basis, but its through e-mail. I miss the old fashioned letter writing, envelope, and stamp. I want a pen and paper pen pal to write to, share life experiences with, and create new memories. I want to be excited to open the mail box and see a letter addressed to me from a new friend.
I don't know, maybe I'm just trying to relive my childhood, but all the same I do miss it. Have you ever had a pen pal?
7 comments:
Sorry I have not, before a year ago I would write a thing... not even if you paid me to.
I wish you the best of luck fulfilling the empty void in your daily life. I hope you find that person to share with…
Thx
I know exactly what you mean. I've never had a pen pal though. I kinda have one now with a friend who moved away, we send letter's back and forth -- through e-mail.
I tried to get my family members to send me letters, but the one person I was most interested in hearing from just got really sick. (It was my grandpa) So I'm kinda at a loss for who to send a letter to next. =/
Stevie - I'm sorry to hear about your grandpa. I hope everything is alright. I share letters now and again with my best friend in NY, but the fact that we talk online all the time it makes it hard to write a letter and include things that we haven't told each other yet.
Great topic, Noelle. And I don't mean that in a generic, I-just-need-to-leave-a-comment-so-let's-get-this-over-with-as-quickly-as-possible-so-I-can-move-on kind of way..
See, you got me thinking about how written correspondence used to be such a vital part of the writing community of yore. The old school writers used to write letters to each other all the time.
Nowadays, we all mostly blog and leave quick little comments at the bottom of a post. It's kind of sad, really.
I'm going to think about this a bit and maybe do my own post on the subject over at Ducks either today or tomorrow...
While serving with the Marine Corps in Vietnam, I was told about a group of high school students who were requesting "pen pals." I grabbed a letter out of the bag, and was surprised to find out that it was from a 17 year old, who was very anti-war. I wrote her anyway and explained that most of us in Vietnam weren't "pro-war," we were just doing our jobs and trying to stay alive. Long story short (I know, too late), we exchanged many interesting letters over the course of my time there. It was a great experience.
I had a pen pal :) I was cleaning things out of my parent's house a while back and came upon some old letters that I had kept. As kids, we're much more outgoing, and I kinda miss that.
Yes. A little scottish girl...from Scotland, that is. I remember she wrote on onion skin paper with a fine point blue fountain pen and her letters smelled really nice. I don't remember her name of the top of my head, but I do remember she sent me a picture of scottish cows that were long-horned, shaggy, rugged looking, on the side of a green mountain. Pen pals are a lost thing, I believe.
Post a Comment