I received a letter from Svalbard, close to the North Pole, where the polar nights had just begun. Can you imagine? Another from a modern hermit in the American mountains, already in full Christmas mode. And another from a French château coming back to life, laughter filling walls that had been quiet for too long.
Not real letters, I should confess. Videos, on social media. But when you follow the right people, every one of them can feel like a letter. And they reminded me how much I miss the real thing: being written to.
If you feel it too, here's the good news. Adults can still have pen pals.
Pen pals you already know
1. An old friend you drifted away from. No falling out, just life. A letter is the gentlest way back. 2. A grandparent or older relative. They often love letters, have time to reply, and carry stories nobody else will tell you. 3. A former teacher who made a difference. Tell them so. Many teachers keep letters like these for the rest of their lives. 4. A godchild, niece or nephew. Children love receiving mail with their own name on it. You might become the person who taught them what a letter is. 5. Yourself, a year from now. Write a letter, seal it, date it, and open it next autumn.
Pen pals you haven't met yet
6. Postcrossing. A free project where you send postcards to random people around the world, and receive postcards back from strangers. 7. A pen pal in a language you're learning. Practice French, Greek or Italian by hand, slowly, with someone learning yours. 8. Older people who rarely receive mail. Some associations connect volunteers with elderly people in care homes who would love a letter. Look for one near you. 9. A fellow reader. Book clubs, bookshops and online reading communities are full of people who would rather write than text.
How to keep it going
Write when you have something to say, not when you feel you should. Keep it short if you need to: a postcard counts. Always end with a question, so the other person knows where to start. And try to reply within a month, so the thread doesn't break.
A letter that comes to you
While you wait for your first replies, the Letter & Magazine subscription can be a pen pal of sorts: a letter and a postcard every month, with a meditation and a story about art inside, plus a seasonal issue of "(meditating) On Art". It doesn't ask for an answer. But you might find yourself writing back.
Remember to take as much time as you need, and meet me at the next one.
Love, Evi