Scene - Blogs - Put down the phone. Pick up the pen.

Put down the phone. Pick up the pen.
Published: 2/17/2012 2:24 PM
Last Modified: 2/17/2012 2:24 PM

Fancy pen not required...but doesn't hurt.

It’s the 17th of February. Have you written your letter yet?

“Letter?” you say (and by “you,” I am, of course, referring to all seven of you who will happen to chance by this post as you wander the interwebs in search of…well, whatever it is you might be in search of). “What letter? Who writes letters?”

A fair question, and one that has been on the mind of Frank Thomas Croisdale, a columnist for the Niagra Falls Reporter in New York.

In a column published Feb. 7, Croisdale writes, “For anyone born in the 1980s or later, handwritten letters are as foreign as slide rules and teletypes.

“Most people under 30 have never received a handwritten letter. They have never had the great pleasure of standing on the porch, sifting through bills and junk mail, and had their heart leap at the sight of a thick letter addressed to them in cursive handwriting.

“They do not know the thrill of tearing open that envelope right there on the porch and letting their tired eyes feast on four or five handwritten pages designed to be an oasis for a water-starved soul.

“Better yet, they have no concept of the thrill there is in not opening that letter right away, but in saving it, like a candy bar tucked inside the cupboard drawer, for a quiet moment when all distractions are discarded and a comfy chair is the only accoutrement needed to allow one's heart to soar to heights unimaginable.”

Croisdale’s idea to alleviate this dearth of truly personal communication was to declare Jan. 17, 2012 as the first “National Send a Handwritten Letter Day.” Jan. 17 was chosen as it’s the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster General.

The response was enthusiastic enough that Croisdale decided that maybe each 17th day of every month be the day when people put down their smart phones and picked up their fountain pens. Or the nearest disposable ballpoint, or No. 2 pencil. Whatever. Just use it to write down on paper some news or thoughts you wish to share with another person.

Of course you can send someone an email or a text message or (I shudder to type this) a “tweet” that will convey the same information. But there is a difference to putting the words you would ordinarily toss casually into the ether on to a piece of paper. It gives them a gravitas they might not otherwise have, a solidity, a permanence. And the person who will receive these words will understand that you thought enough of them to slow down, sit down and take the time to craft something tangible out of words and thought, ink and paper.

So.

Who needs to receive some words from you?

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47238 (last year)

Thanks for the encouragement. Coincidentally, I just had two classes of high school students write hand-written thank you letters to people who had made a positive difference in their lives. Some chose a parent, a grandparent, a youth leader, a dear friend, a sibling, a teacher, etc. It has been lovely to hear how the recipients appreciated the effort. We then discussed what a small amount of time it took and the wonderful return on the "investment."
-A. Wright, Jenks

P.S. You'd be amazed at how many students do not know how to address an envelope. Yikes!

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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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Archive

Past Articles By James D. Watts Jr

2/15/2013		'Concept/OK' exhibit ends Saturday
2/14/2013		Symphony to host piano soloist
2/14/2013		Broadway tours bring 'Shrek,' improv musical to Tulsa area this weekend
2/14/2013		Arts roundup: Improv reigns at several upcoming theater events
2/14/2013		'Lion King' returns to Tulsa PAC June 4
2/12/2013		Review: Signature Symphony reprises '100 Years of Oklahoma Music'
2/11/2013		Tulsa Symphony's concert salutes diverse American music
2/10/2013		Cherokee artist weaves messages into baskets
2/10/2013		Tesla Quartet set for Tulsa residency next week with variety of activities
2/10/2013		Jim Murphy wins 2013 Anne Zarrow Award
2/10/2013		LBJ chronicler Robert Caro to speak at TU on Tuesday
2/9/2013		Theater review: Playhouse makes "Barefoot in the Park" believable

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