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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![]() The following is borrowed from a May 12th article in The Telegraph. I encourage you to read the entire article but I share with you the part most likely to resonate with letter writers. "Now that anybody can buy a laser printer for £99, immaculate 16 point Helvetica is no more glamorous than half a pint of milk. Now that any fool can reach several million people in a few clicks, the hand-written letter or postcard assumes explosive social and commercial impact. I often advise clients to write letters, not build websites. It’s more valuable and impressive to have 50 people admiring your handwriting than have five million hitting the delete button." This expresses well the value--the increasing value--of the handwritten word. You can read the entire article HERE. Why do we write letters? I have been thinking about this question and offer a short list of reasons which are not listed in order of importance. Some items on the list might even seem trivial but any reason, however slight, should be included. This list needs developing and that will happen with time as I add points and invest more thought in each idea.
1) Relationships
Why do you write? Please share your ideas. I know there are plenty of good reasons I have not thought of. |
Letter Matters
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