June 5 - The Write Stuff

Day 156 of a year of Kindness

 I used to love writing long letters. I rarely do it anymore. But I wrote one tonight. I wrote to my friend Libby on yellow legal paper just like I did when we were at different colleges. Last year we walked the Camino de Santiago and spent so much time together we (almost) ran out of things to say. Since then we’ve gotten enmeshed in the rhythms of our lives - both on different coasts. She’s not on social media, so I wrote her a big fat letter about everything we don’t have time to cover on the phone or in a text. It also allowed me to share how much I appreciate the work she does helping children. Writing a long letter reminded me how much fun it is to scribble out your thoughts to someone who will happily read them. 

Science of kindness: Research reveals that sending a thoughtful letter creates a joyful and compassionate connection. The receiver gets a delightful surprise in the mail, and the letter writer gets the satisfaction of sharing their thoughts on paper with someone they care about.  Letter writing is an act of kindness that awards the writer with improved mental health, increased creativity, and stress relief. #bekind