Write a Letter

Photo by Álvaro Serrano on Unsplash

February is the 'Month of Letters'. I have always loved writing letters. When I was a child and teenager I had penfriends across the globe: Australia, South Africa, Germany, France and the U.S.A. Sadly, I have lost touch with them all apart from my French penpal, Dany. Our friendship has lasted over 50 years, but nowadays we communicate digitally.

I remember too the excitement of receiving a hand-written love letter through the post, the envelope sealed on the back with S.W.A.L.K. This was, of course, all long before mobile phones and the internet; I don't believe a message on Whatsapp could generate quite the same thrill. 

Now my 'thrill' comes from postcards! During the first lock-down I joined 'Postcrossing' a postcard exchange project that invites everyone to send and receive postcards from random places around the world. So far 60 million postcards have been registered globally. Some people have sent and received thousands, and I'm getting quite a collection myself. I like connecting with, and learning about, people in different countries, especially during the Covid pandemic. 

Did you know that February 4th is 'Mail Carrier Appreciation Day'? I'll be making sure I say a special 'thank you' to my own postie. 

Writing Prompt:

• Write a letter to someone you haven't seen for a while. If you want to, you can post it.
• Write a letter to your 16-year-old self. 
• Send a postcard to a friend (or to yourself).