Health & Fitness
Pen pals, the ancient art of correspondance.
From philately to pen pals. Why the two enrich my life.
Dear readers,
I have a confession to make. I have a bit of a stationery obsession. Crammed amongst my voluminous personal library are copious journals, notebooks and stationery sets. Most are adorned with lovely floral prints that suit my girly personality and others are a bit more demure.
If you recall the scene in the movie Grease where the pink ladies are sleeping over at Frenchie's house and Sandy asks the boy crazy Marty for some writing paper, she sprays it with a burst of perfume before letting Sandy leave. After all, when writing to a gentleman, a lady should always have scented paper to convey her love. Now unlike Marty, I'm not a one woman USO, although I am a terrific pen pal. Hopelessly devoted to each and everyone.
I've been communicating with folks all over the globe for years. The anomaly is, that even today, it's never been digital. Much to the disbelief of some, I still sit down and write letters to some of these pen pals in China, Nepal, The Netherlands, Peru and my newest acquaintance in Madagascar. My friends playfully tease me that I'm a Victorian woman who was sent to the wrong era! "Get with the 21st century, Arlette!" They always quip. I truly enjoy this 'old fashioned' style of correspondence. For me, little compares with the excitement of receiving a handwritten letter in the mail from a distant, foreign land. I confess yet again, I sometimes giggle like a little girl upon collecting the mail. I love learning about these families, different cultures, languages and customs. I've been blessed to travel a lot and I've always felt that once people get past the apparent differences on the surface, that we're not too foreign from one another.
So, dear readers; should you run into me at the Elfers or Main Street Post Office, or the Centennial Park Library (one of my favorite hangouts to write letters) you're welcome to stop by and say hi or even buy me a stamp or two to add to my ever expanding collection.
Did you have pen pals as a child or still correspond with them? Kindly share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comment section.
