One of these Days

Today I got a pleasant surprise in the mail, I got a letter from a good friend of mine. I like that feeling of getting mail, facebook messaging and emails seem so impersonal now.

I must admit, I do use the Facebook, I also tweet, and I text message every so often. Rarely do I use more tradition modes of correspondence such as letter writing or even phoning people, but when I take pen in hand and write down my thoughts to someone else, it's much more satisfying.

When I'm writing to someone, I feel as if I'm carrying part of a dialogue to them, letters are more conversational than emails or even text messages. I find i take more time writing a letter then sending a message via internet, exceptions would be when I write in my blog.

Letters are meant to kept, they are meant to be re-read, sometimes they are like a memory, you sometimes remember how you felt when you read that letter when you first got it.

I remember going through some old stuff my dad saved for me after I moved out. There was a treasure trove of old memorabilia that I had all but forgotten. Some of the most meaningful things I found were letters, postcards, and birthday wishes I had received throughout the years by old friends. All these things brought back past experiences with these people, the fondness of their company, their humour, and their warmth. The letters were memories to me, they brought up emotions in me towards these people that laid dormant for years.

It's sometimes difficult to look into the past, when I do it, I prefer to remember the good things, yet that might be a bit foolish, I still have scars needing to heal, perhaps I look at the past too much, yet these letters remind me of the happiness those memories contained. It's easy to dwell on the past and hope better for the future. We are taught nostaligia may be a dangerous thing for it sometimes works as a trick to make us think things were better in the past, yet if you think about it, sometimes we only remember it that way.

But back to letters, what wonderful pieces of history they can be, they are documents unlike today's mode of communication. I like to think I'm pulling away from technology, I'm uncomforable with it sometimes, I find it useful when there is something I like to share with people, such as this blog. I don't like constant one-note emails, or text messages, ask anyone I'm sure they'll tell you I don't do it often. My cell phone is about three years old now, it's not a blackberry, it doesn't have the internet, it has no touchscreen, I inserted a picture of Homer Simpson on the cover of it because he makes me laugh, but that's about as technical as I will get with it.

Perhaps I will be left behind with the coming upgrades and advanced technology, I could care less. We now have E-Books which let you read books on an electronic screen, it's more convenient, but there's something about touching an actual novel, like a letter that feels more genuine.

Tonight I will sit down and write a letter to my friend, I want to continue the conversation she has started, I'm looking forward to it, these are the simple pleasures I appreciate more and more.