#SoCS May 5/18 – Letter

05 May 2018 71 Comments

by Ritu in #SoCS, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Linda’s prompt for SoCS this week…

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “letter.” Use it in your post or theme your post on any meaning of the word “letter.” Enjoy!

I love receiving letters in the mail.

Not the constant bills and junk mail that see their way into our post, but real, proper letters.

When I was a young girl, there was no such thing as email, and even when it was first widely available, it wasn’t immediate, because most of us had dial-up connections, and I think if you are in my age bracket, you will be able to remember the pain of hearing that screeching as the internet connected, and if you were lucky, you could access that haloed mail!

After that, you got mobiles with text messages, and the likes of WhatsApp etc. joined the ranks of communication. Straight away messages and calls. Heck, you could even video call, and see someone halfway around the world!

Of course, I use all these methods of keeping in touch with a lot of my family and friends now, but I sure miss the joy of opening an envelope to read a hand-written letter and the art of crafting a letter to send to a loved one.

My family were all over the world, so I used to (or my parents did, anyway!) stock up on airmail letters, so I could write to my cousins. I would tell them all my news and ask the relevant questions, then go to the post office to pay for my stamps.

I knew it could take a week or more for the letter to reach its destination, and then there would be a delay of a few weeks for a reply to come.

But the excitement of getting that letter, in your name!

Then there were the ones to my Hubby Dearest when he was still my fiance! Pages and pages of soppy romantic “I miss you and I love you’s”… I would know when the reply was due, because he’d have told me on the phone that he was sending a letter. I would wait by the letterbox. The mail was more regular in it’s delivery time then. I knew exactly when the postman would be visiting.

Then I’d hide my precious mail, and read it in my room, all alone, feeling all gooey inside, before rushing off to pen a reply!

Oh yes, those feelings of a real letter!

I think today’s generation really miss out by just having this messaging available to them. They don’t learn the art of patience, or gratitude either. They don’t have as many reasons to keep their handwriting skills tip top, or even the knowledge of how to write a letter.

And they miss out on the joy of receiving a letter in the post.

I didn’t want my kids to miss out, so they have, on occasion, written to their grandparents, and their uncle in Finland, and been really thrilled to receive the responses. It was funny watching them wait, expecting a reply that same day, or the next… sorry dears, even in this day and age unless we paid for courier delivery, that wasn’t likely!

And recently Lil Princess has had the pleasure of a pen pal as her best friend moved away from the area, so she was so happy to get a letter from her! They write, intermittently, to each other, and I’m so glad she’s keeping letter writing alive for another generation!

What about you? Do you miss receiving letters, or do you still write them?

Happy Saturday Peeps!

https://lindaghill.com/2018/05/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-5-18/

71 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. manyofus1980
    Jun 11, 2018 @ 08:27:27

    I remember the joy of having a penpal! How I loved reading her letters! Made my week also when I was a kid and in bording school and my gramma would write me a letter with all the family news in it!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. Jennie
    May 06, 2018 @ 19:15:54

    Wonderful post, Ritu! A great reminder of the importance of letters. My classroom writes big thank you notes to guests and others. Getting a reply (like from the Queen) makes letter writing even more meaningful.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. puppy1952
    May 06, 2018 @ 13:36:06

    I am from the letter writing generation – My best friend’s dad moved his family to another city when we were eleven and we kept the friendship going by exchanging letters until we were adults. We are still best friends although we live in different countries. Receiving letters was exciting but I also get a thrill from receiving emails. And being able to video call a loved one on another continent is pure magic.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. joey
    May 05, 2018 @ 21:14:48

    I DO miss getting letters. Of course, that’s because I hardly ever send any now. I owe my mother a handful, too. I will add that to my “pleasures of a Sunday afternoon” agenda — thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Ruth Daly
    May 05, 2018 @ 20:06:30

    I do miss receiving letters. But I don’t miss writing them 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Ritu
    May 05, 2018 @ 18:41:09

    😊

    Like

    Reply

  7. Ritu
    May 05, 2018 @ 18:39:16

    I’ve got a box full too!!!

    Like

    Reply

  8. Unbound Roots
    May 05, 2018 @ 17:56:38

    There’s nothing better than receiving a real letter from a loved one in the mail. I too remember the feeling of excitement of receiving letters from my boyfriend (now husband) when he went away to college. I have kept all the letters in a box, and I never intend to dispose of them. I’m so happy your daughter is writing letters. My children also love sending letters in the mail – and receiving them. I hope this practice never totally goes away.

    Thanks for a thought-provoking post, Ritu!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. LaurenEph
    May 05, 2018 @ 16:20:56

    I love to get a letter, or a card. It’s great to receive post 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Masha
    May 05, 2018 @ 15:48:04

    I love to receive and to send cards, I don’t get letters only emails and truth be told I don’t send letters either, but I’ll send cards for celebrations. There is really something magical that opening a card can deliver. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Love is life
    May 05, 2018 @ 14:43:13

    best

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. angelanoelauthor
    May 05, 2018 @ 14:13:13

    I do think there’s a magic to letters. The lack of immediacy improves the savor. We humans have the capability to anticipate pleasures, experience it, then reflect on it later. That’s three distinct things! In today’s fast moving world instant gratification and communication gives us a quick hit, but ruins the sweet anticipation of pleasure to come.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. susielindau
    May 05, 2018 @ 14:08:18

    So true! I had a penpal in England when I was in grade school. I wish I could find the letters. I would look her up!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. J-Dub
    May 05, 2018 @ 13:06:57

    I do miss writing and receiving letters. Yet not enough to keep up the tradition.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. A Girl and Her Passport
    May 05, 2018 @ 12:43:26

    Oh, I miss real letters. I still check the mailbox to see if I have gotten any even though I know there won’t be anything there. I feel this way about email now. It’s all ads and very little real mail.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. Lisa Orchard
    May 05, 2018 @ 12:43:23

    I love these flash fiction posts! I may just have to participate in one of these some day! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  17. Shelley
    May 05, 2018 @ 12:36:30

    I enjoyed reading your take on this prompt. I agree letters are fun to send and receive. Nice post – enjoy your Saturday!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  18. Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)
    May 05, 2018 @ 12:19:04

    Our younger generation don’t know how to write letters – formal or informal! I must admit to rarely writing any these days, but last year when I became Chiar of our alumni I received a letter from an old boy….a really old old boy in his 90s. It was lovely – very polite, congratulating me on my post and telling me about his time at the school and so unexpected. I remember having a penpal in Finland as a child and that anticipation of a letter through the door….memories and nostalgia!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. Dan Antion
    May 05, 2018 @ 11:39:04

    I do miss writing letters. There was something magical about the whole process. Now, it’s me’h.

    Nice response to the prompt, Ritu.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  20. You Can Always Start Now
    May 05, 2018 @ 11:32:36

    I posted my #SOCS letter also. You basically answered my question at the end. It is different waiting, receiving and writing a letter. I think it is a slower pace, sitting down, thinking, composing and yeah a bit of a lost art. There is something special about receiving a letter in the mail.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  21. willowdot21
    May 05, 2018 @ 11:29:43

    I love letters and letter writing and when I was younger I wrote a lot. To friends, pen friends, hubby, family but now I must admit I am getting very lazy …and impatient.💜💜😁😁

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. Don Massenzio
    May 05, 2018 @ 11:15:44

    It’s a lost art. With our email and texting culture, things like penmanship, grammar and complete sentences have gone by the wayside. I was actually mocked at work by much younger coworkers for writing texts and emails using formal language and correspondence structure. I will continue to do so, however.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  23. arv!
    May 05, 2018 @ 11:14:31

    I guess letter by post is very “old days kind of thing. At the same time, it’s nostalgic too!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  24. Debbie Harris
    May 05, 2018 @ 09:47:06

    I agree Ritu, letters are something this generation won’t understand like we do! It’s great to have memories in letters and I still get a thrill of receiving a letter or card in the mail.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  25. Gary
    May 05, 2018 @ 09:43:54

    Stream of conscious writing is something I’m considering trying out too Ritu. This one touched on much nostalgia. Post…first class and second class. One in the morning, the other afternoon. Deilverues on the money every day. Way better efficiency, reliable. Same with deliveries or workmen. Time of arrival given… no sometime during the day between 8 and 8. Hello, modern improved communications…. should be to the nearest minute now lol. And the dial up connection noise… heck, I remember that clang of beeps. Computers with IK of RAM, No computers even. Outdoors was the playing field, things arrived on time, bin men collected bins from your back garden, tiny things almost no waste, stuff broke and got fixed… progress… hmm…. shame it hasn’t really apart from faster tech!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  26. Losing the Plot
    May 05, 2018 @ 09:12:51

    I think you hit the nail on the head there, with this generation missing out on the anticipation of receiving a letter, maybe they still get that with concert tickets? But patience is definitely waning everywhere which is sad

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  27. thatblogwherecheriemovestogermany
    May 05, 2018 @ 08:36:47

    I still love to write and receive letters. It’s a rare thing though now.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  28. rachaelstray
    May 05, 2018 @ 08:25:11

    It’s a lost art letter writing I think. It’s great to encourage younger ones to write. I miss receiving letters. I used to have pen pals when I was younger.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  29. amelia
    May 05, 2018 @ 08:23:02

    I love receiving letters too! But it’s been a while… just bills these days 😢

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  30. Midlife Smarts
    May 05, 2018 @ 08:17:40

    Great reminder about the joy in receiving a letter. At primary school, I had a penpal in America and got so excited when I saw the airmail envelope arrive!! I still love getting letters but they are few and far between now. Birthday and Christmas cards are lovely to receive.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  31. OIKOS™-Redaktion
    May 05, 2018 @ 07:39:04

    Hey! Wonderful words! You will become the promoter for handwritten letters. 😉
    But really no one can imagine love letters (only) by eletronic devices.
    Wish you all a great weekend.Use it to relax, giving the birds the possibility to fly, and in the meanwhile take care of Sonu Singh too. lol Michael

    Liked by 1 person

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  32. OIKOS™-Redaktion
    May 05, 2018 @ 07:33:05

    Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  33. Trackback: #SoCS May 5/18 – Letter – The Militant Negro™

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