7 Reasons for You to Handwrite Notes
Like thousands of children worldwide, this past week my daughter went to overnight summer camp. This time marks her third year attending the same camp with her peers from church. She is a kid who loves being home so anxiety about being away is a part of her experience. Once she is surrounded by friends and playing, she finds fun and laughter. But at night when the fun ends, she misses home.
To help with homesickness, I write her notes to open each night she is away. In each note are handwritten words of encouragement, scripture, and affirmation to remind her of her identity, worth, and how much she is loved.
Notes are a big deal in our house.
Who knows where it started. Maybe it was when my husband and I were dating.
Our first date was to dinner and a concert. Our conversation was going well and the waiter must have come to ask for our order five or more times. Finally we ordered blackened sea bass as an entrée. We must have considered eating soup although I don’t recall actually eating any soup. I know we talked about it because he mentioned the proper way to eat soup. “Uh oh,” I thought, “who is this guy teaching me table manners?” We moved on, enjoying our dinner and our time together almost missing the concert.
The following week I opened my mailbox to find an envelope from him. He was traveling and I was delighted to see his name. I glowed knowing he thought of me.
Inside was an article about spooning soup away from your body, describing the method of eating soup exactly like he had said the week prior. I smiled so big. Not because I learned how to eat soup (note I still spoon toward my body unless I am at a restaurant). I smiled because of the handwritten note saying this article was in a magazine he read on his flight and he had to send it to me and say thanks for the great conversation and see you when I return.
Knowing you are being thought of as someone goes about their daily life feels wonderful. In his note to me he expressed feelings for me and 25 years later that feeling has outlived the note and the memory of the exact words written.
I write notes - thank you notes, encouraging notes, wake up messages, affirmations on mirrors, notes in my calendar, to do lists - everywhere and for every thing. My husband does the same. To me. To our daughter. To family. To friends.
So I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that this year when our daughter went to camp she left us with handwritten notes. She also left clear instructions to open one each night. We did. To our profound delight.
Inside she drew a picture of what she imagined would be happening at camp on that night. Things like the stage, the trees, the campfire, the sky. She added a theme or purpose for the day and a related scripture. Things like being calm, focusing on creation, hope. She wrote a message to us sharing what she expected to feel and how she would cope and her gratitude for us. Her words were honest and funny, both attributes she lives fully in all she does. From the ink on paper, her voice filled the room making us smile and laugh, with misty eyes, making her presence close for a moment instead of hours away. For the next 24 hours or more, we continued to remind each other of things she had written in her note. The conversation with her and about her continued even when the note was out of sight.
Summer camp will end and we will reunite. She will share with us the details of the trip and we will share with her how quiet the house was and how absence does make the heart grow fonder. None of us will regret the time and attention we took to write handwritten notes to one another as a way to keep the conversation alive while we were apart. Conversation connects us and handwritten notes are an important part of our dialogue.
Handwritten notes are not a new concept. But are they a lost art?
According to the U.S. Postal Service’s annual survey, the average home only received a personal letter once every seven weeks in 2010, down from once every two weeks in 1987. (Source: Harvard Business Review, April 5, 2013)
There are countless reasons why rediscovering the art of handwritten notes matters. Here are seven reasons for you to handwrite more notes.
Remind others they matter to you. Each night whether at camp or at home we were reminded of our importance in one another’s lives. Articles with handwritten notes can let you someone know you though of them.
Help another person. Overthinking can lead to anxiety. Having a tangible action, like reading a note, takes you out of your head and helps reduce anxiety. Plus getting manners tips is always helpful.
Share information. Whether it is scripture, practical tips, or life updates, notes allow you to share relevant information about yourself and the world with the recipient. What you choose to share shows your values and interests and helps the other person know you better.
Express feelings. Throughout our notes as a family our love for one another is expressed. Other feelings can also be shared and affirmed. Many people say they process their feelings through writing. You might consider writing a draft for complicated or unresolved situations (that risk halting conversation), then sending an edited version that will further the conversation.
Connect across distance. Receiving notes and letters is an unexpected joy and can help bridge the distance. When you read a letter, your brain and body feel connected to the other person whether they are down the street or across the globe.
Enrich someone’s day. Your words of love and encouragement offer feelings that do not end when the note is put away. The recipient of your handwritten note will replay and may even reread the words throughout the day or days to come. They will respond, even if only in their thoughts, and the conversation will make their day less lonely.
Continue giving. Beyond that day or week, the conversation that happens through the written word has an impact. Years later when the recipient of another family member finds the treasured notes, the relationship, historical details, and other stories are shared and affect the reader. I love finding notes or letters written by a previous generation. The words help with understanding people from the past which translates to better understanding people and their complexities in the present.
The value of a handwritten note is priceless and worth the cost of time, materials, and energy. Consider implementing more of this lost art in your life and write someone a handwritten note. It takes less time than you think and pays dividends right away. Happy handwritten note writing!
