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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Monday is now postponed in order that I might catch up on letter writing. You all have an extra 24 hours in your week because we will not have Monday until tomorrow. Enjoy the extra time. I've made coffee, have pen and paper standing in readiness and I will shortly jump back into the conversations I had been enjoying before my letter writing derailed.
I have reproach myself for getting behind in letter writing but this morning, after some reflection, I fan the flames of self-reproach because I realize that I not merely neglect a task, I neglect the person who is the object of the task. For this I am sorry. I have come to accept something in this morning's reflection. You may remember a certain post from last month in which I decided to make adjustments and minor repairs which would free up time with which I could develop a routine of writing. I now admit to myself that I need a goal such as a letter a day or five per week or an immediate response...anything will do for starters. Inspiration is not enough. I need a discipline if I am to be a regular writer instead of a well-intentioned but distractible writer. It is time to get beyond being the Queen of Good Intentions to being the Empress of Good Deeds. Do you set goals to keep yourself on track or do the letters just flow naturally from a steady stream of inspiration. I would love to hear about your experience with letter writing. |
Letter Matters
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