Felicity. That is a word I learned from Jane Austen. It is one of her favorites and means "happiness." Felicity is on my mind because I have been reading Austen and writing letters. Today as I sat down to write I was struck with the comfort I find in penning a letter. This is not a novel feeling or an unexpected one; I was just especially aware of it today. Perhaps the small stack of respond-to-letters encouraged in me this sense of comfort (those large stacks can seem so daunting). Comfort and felicity come not only through writing letters but also through reading them. Because of this, I particularly like carrying letters with me when I anticipate having to wait somewhere such as the dentist's office or the Department of Motor Vehicles. Pulling out a letter and reading it in public makes any present discomfort fade as the letter's civility provides a hedge against my surroundings. How better to pass an hour at the DMV than in silent conversation with a friend? Only in a letter can I find both solitude and friendship; both silence and conversation. What felicitous comfort is to be found in a letter.
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In letter writing one ought to know when and where the other person reads, as it makes more of a semblance to real conversation.
I continue to receive lovely letters in the mail and have some interesting conversations in the works. All mail conversation interests me and I enjoy the variety of conversations but I find that the liveliest conversation comes from disagreements. Disagreement is enjoyable so long as it remains cordial. I'm not exactly sure why this is. Why should sparring be fun? Perhaps because it's not the usual course of things, not for me anyway. Most people in my set of friends share my views and attitudes for the most part; perhaps that's why we wound up in the same circles. Add to that a polite avoidance of issues that might bring us into conflict and there's very little to argue about. That can be a little dull sometimes, I admit. Perhaps the desire to avoid conflict is why women talk so much of recipes and current sales (hmmm). So, when a philosophical argument comes along it's a fun ride...so long as it remains cordial, of course. I'd like to show you a couple fun enclosures I received recently. Finally, my happy news for the week is that my desk has arrived earlier than expected. It is beautiful and needs finishing. Mr. Duffy has given the young Mr. Duffys the task of sanding. Hopefully this weekend it will be ready for staining. I can't wait!
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Letter Matters
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