The above photo absolutely fills me with joy, because it is a collection of all of the handwritten letters I have received since I started pouring my brain into the internet.
And just like ebooks and kindles will never truly compare to the sensation of holding a real physical book in my hands, although I'm forever grateful for the internet correspondence I am lucky enough to receive, the sheer magic of receiving post in varying handwritten styles bursting with personality and character, upon an array of papers and envelopes, emblazoned with the unique stamps of the word, is comparable to none.
The time, effort, concentration, and purpose that goes into anything handwritten is something inexorably lost to technology. The scribblings, inkblots and asterisks for later digressions are not flaws to be erased by a hastily applied backspace key, but talismans of the erratic beauty of the human mind.
Curiously, despite the incredible array of stories I get to hear through these unique hieroglyphics, each one contains a variation of perhaps the precise same line.
'I don't want to sound crazy but...'
And little can I convey just how much it warms my heart, not only because I could never deem someone who has taken the heart to reach out to me by hand as any kind of crazy, but because it's a reassurance. Don't apologize. If these letter are anything to go by, we're all bonkers here.My 23rd birthday is this Wednesday the 7th of October, and after feeling glum, I wrote about how the stress of returning from NYC and entering ~real life~ has left me depleted and desperate for disconnection. Only by doing so, I found re-connection.
So this year, there's only one thing I want for my birthday. It would be very lovely if you wrote me a letter, a story about your life. You find my contact details here.I'll even write you back if you enclose a return address.
That's what's my 23rd birthday wishlist.
And thank you so so much to those who have written to me thus far, either by hand, or by web. Each one is read and adored, and I will return the favour promptly.
