Romantical Ideas

Now...don't get all worried and think that I'm going to be talking about candle lit dinners, and other assorted things that will make you (and me) puke. Clearly, I'm not talking about romance in the way most people think about romance today. I'm thinking romance in the ways of Gothic novels. Let me explain.

There are a few things in the world that make me pause and get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Taking a walk while it's snowing and the feel of snowflakes on my eyelashes. The feeling you have when you first wake up, and haven't yet opened your eyes, and yet to have the stress of the day upon you, when your entire world is still at peace. And my absolute favorite, putting pen to paper and writing an actual letter.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate many of the technological advances that have allowed things such as social networking and email, text messaging, and smart phones. These pieces of technology have allowed us to communicate in a much more immediate fashion, and keep in contact with many people that over time you would normally have lost touch with.

But there is something that touches my soul when I get an actual letter in the mail. Maybe it's the fact that this only happens a couple of times a year. But I don't think that's it. Taking the time to sit down, and actually write someone a letter takes time, time that many people aren't willing to take on a regular basis.

Letters are how people used to court. Can you imagine the patience it would take to only be able to communicate through letters? One of the most memorable afternoons of my childhood was the afternoon that my family found the letters that my Grandpa had written my Grandma before they were married. It offered us such a rare glimpse into their relationship. I'm honestly not sure I had ever seen my father laugh that hard. And it's been a rare occasion since. It was a chance to travel through time, and see my grandparents as young lovebirds. To see them 50 years younger.

50 years from now, I can guarantee that my children and grandchildren aren't going to sit around reading my emails or facebook account. That's just now how this works.

Paper tends to stick around. We keep things that are special to us. Like the letters I wrote to my grandparents when I was a kid, to tell them that I missed them. Or the letters that my Grandma writes me now. She tells me what her day is like, tells me that she's going to cook something good for dinner, and what her blood sugar was, and that she needed to take a nap. I love it.

I am as guilty as everyone else about not putting pen to paper often. I normally only succeed at doing things like that around Christmas, or rarely throughout the year. But I always wish I would.