Open an old box of letters and you'll often find that the letters themselves aren't the only treasures. Tucked between the pages there's a dried flower, a ticket from a concert, a photo, a note in a child's handwriting. Sometimes those little extras are what make you smile first.
A letter is already a gift. A small flat treasure inside it makes it a parcel of memories.
From nature
1. A pressed flower or leaf, labeled with where and when you picked it. 2. A feather found on a walk, if it's small and clean. 3. A few seeds in a tiny paper packet, with instructions for planting. 4. A sprig of dried lavender or rosemary, for scent.
From your days
5. A ticket stub from a film, a concert, a museum, with one line about it. 6. A metro or bus ticket from your city, if they live far away. 7. A receipt from a café you wish you could take them to. 8. A printed photo, with a date and a caption on the back. 9. A page torn from a magazine: a recipe, a painting, an article you think they'd love.
Made by hand
10. A tiny drawing or watercolor, even a clumsy one. 11. A handwritten recipe card from your family. 12. A bookmark you made or decorated. 13. A paper star, heart or bird folded from colored paper.
For later
14. An "open when you're sad" note sealed inside a smaller envelope. 15. A blank postcard with a stamp, so replying is easy.
A few practical tips
Keep everything flat and light, so the letter doesn't cost extra postage or get damaged. Protect fragile things like pressed flowers inside a folded piece of paper. And always add a small label: in ten years, a dried leaf means more when you know where it came from.
A letter that arrives with extras
The Letter & Magazine subscription sends you a letter and a postcard every month, with a meditation, a story about art and small handwritten touches, plus a seasonal issue of "(meditating) On Art". A little parcel of slowness, flat enough to fit any mailbox.
Remember to take as much time as you need, and meet me at the next one.
Love, Evi