Long time no see, Friend!
I'm long overdue sending you this letter.
Dearest friend,
I’ve been waiting to send you a letter until I felt like I had something to say or the time to say it, but it just never happened. My brain has been a bit fried the past few years, if that’s any excuse. But hey—I’m here now. <3
Where to even start? The beginning, I guess.
I have been writing letters since I learned to write. I would send postcards and letters to everyone. My mom would make me write thank you cards to my teachers at the end of each year. I remember writing a thank you card to a teacher who had sent me a thank you card for my thank you card. But my sister and Grandma June were the ones who really nurtured my unusual hobby. I wrote to Grandma about everything:
I would write to Grandma June frequently—she lived just up the road from us—and she would always write back. One postcard read:
Hi Grandma and Grandpa,
I love you. Kitty says "hi"!
Love, Leah.
Oh, how I loved Kitty. Here she is:
As you know, I try to go more in-depth in my letters these days. I try to say things that should be more permanent than what can be said on the phone. Things that shouldn't be thrown into an email. I get to test this whenever I write to a friend of mine in Australia. He travels a lot, so most often, my letters to him wait in the hands of his family for weeks or months after they arrive. I like that. It’s the ultimate test to make sure my letters are evergreen.
I just wanted to write this letter to you because it takes away the pressure. You know, the pressure to constantly be on all the platforms or respond to the outside world. It’s nice to take a moment to connect again in a way that feels like I’m giving you a big hug. And there’s no pressure to respond, mind you! I’ve got something far out to tell you next time! But I think that’s plenty for me today. Sleep calls for me.
Unlike my eager younger self, I’m gonna try to write to you once a month, no more. Letters should be slow, you know?
Love,
Leah
PS. Speaking of my childhood…my mom used to crank up this song on the radio in her Buick, and we'd sing along at the top of our lungs. Hope you like it. x
PPS. Totes OK to share this letter, babe. It’s public, for better or worse.