Back Talk from the Back House

To write a letterI had to write a real letter a couple of weeks ago, a letter to which I attached a stamp and took up to the mailbox to send. I don’t do this very often any more, and it usually takes me a long time to get around to it, but this one was a bit different; it was a necessity. I had, most unexpectedly, received a box of Omaha steaks, sent by a friend I had not seen for many years. We have corresponded, however, all along, and through many moves of both of us. At least I thought she had sent it; it was signed by only one name, and I only knew one person of that name, so I was sure it was she. I had to write, not only to find out, but also to thank her profusely for such a thoughtful, surprise gift. She is one of the very few people of my acquaintance who does not have a computer, so I couldn’t just whip off an email that she would get instantly; I would have to wait until I heard from her to discover whether my guess of donor was correct.

I am supposed to be a writer, of sorts. It should be a simple matter to sit down and pen a relatively ordinary letter, but I’ve gotten out of the habit since I’ve had the computer and email to take care of the little niceties more readily. I did manage to get the thank-you letter out to her in good time; and a few days ago, I received her reply. Yes, she was the one who had sent the steaks, so that mystery was solved. She writes her letters in longhand (legible), while I type everything now, because my longhand is so atrocious that most of the time I can’t read it, either. Email came pretty naturally to me when it did come on the scene, relieving me of the stress of writing someone, knowing she wouldn’t be able to read it. Of course, I type all of my few letters now, even though they’ll go out via the post office; I don’t have to be concerned any more that the recipient won’t be able to read them. This technology has been a tremendous relief and help, at least to me, to get my point across.

I suspect that I’m not the only one who doesn’t actually pen a gracious thank-you letter any more, or a letter of any kind; I’ve read complaints from people who miss the good old days of mail correspondence; some seem to think that is the only way it should be done. And perhaps it was, when there was just the one choice, but ready or not, times do change, and every once in a while, that change is for the better.