To be honest, if you do a certain thing, you never had to do it. I chose to do it. Ultimately, there's no "There was no other choice." I don't have to write this post, and publish it, but I am choosing to do so anyways (because I haven't published a post for a while, and wanted to write about something). Likewise, you never have to read this post, but so far, you chose to read this. It's actually very interesting to see negative comments on the Internet. You know, some people bother to make nasty, rude comments on YouTube videos, someone's tweets, and so on. I always think, "Hey, nobody asked you to see the video (or other things). If you didn't like it, you have a full right to just leave, right? But you actually chose to stay, and even spare your precious time on typing out a comment... Very interesting..."
And what's more interesting is that some people commenting, "Ugly," "You're not good at this," and you know, things like that. I mean, if you're a judge at an audition, those comments may be relevant. (Still mean, and something you wouldn't want to hear, though!) But I think those people who post selfies do not think they have the best looks. They don't intend to let people know how gorgeous they look. They are just posting pictures of themselves. And people upload makeup videos because they love doing makeup, not to boast around of their skills. They never intend to say they are the best makeup artists. (I used makeup tutorial videos as an example because I love makeup too, and often watch those makeup videos.) They are not competing; they are not participating in a contest. So, the comments like, "Woah, you suck," and "Did you know you're not even good at this?" are so massively missing the point.
At this point, you may be thinking today's topic is hating on haters. But if you're clever enough (Ha!), you've already guessed that it's actually not by the previous sentence. When it comes, "You may think...," the next thing the author/speaker says is always, "But...," and that's the sign that something important is coming.
"Who writes letters nowadays?"
Me: I do.
I thought of writing about how I love writing letters. Well, I have a blog; obviously, I must love writing. Although I love writing things on the Internet, I also love writing using a pen and some pieces of paper. Do you write letters? I bet not many people will say yes. You may write some message cards once or a few times a year. But do you ever write an actual letter? I do! I used to write to my boyfriend every month when I was studying abroad in California. Of course, we texted almost everyday, and talked on the phone once in a while (I'm not a time-traveler from a thousand years ago, after all!), but I never failed to write him once a month. Now, it's been a while since I came back to Japan, and we both live in Japan, and can see each other much easily, so I don't write him letters that often. But I still write letters, or cards to him several times a year. On our anniversary, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and when I am out of town to visit my parents... There are a lot of chances for you to pick up a pen.
I also write frequently to my ex-host-family. They are the people who let me stay at their place while I was in California, and treated my like their real daughter. They are not the only people from America I write letters to. I have a very good friend from the East Coast, and I write to her as well. It started when she made a suggestion last Christmas that we could exchange Christmas cards. I loved that idea, and soon, I went to buy a Christmas cards for her. And I am so excited to write to her, and to read her letters written for me from now on.
Text messaging is quick, and also easy. It's so convenient. I am not going to say it's all bad. I actually enjoy the technology we're blessed to have. But I believe letters have some amazing points which text messages do not have.
First, you don't send a letter-length message, do you? Text messages are good for conversations. Letters are not good for conversations; it takes way too much time. But if you want to take a time, sit down, gather your thoughts and memories, and put them into one thing, letters are really good. You need some time to write a letter. And when people write to you, you know they took some time for you, and you'll automatically appreciate that. When I have this thing that I really want to tell to a person, I always choose to write a letter.
Second, with letters, you get to see people's handwriting. (And at the same time, you're showing your handwriting to them as well, obviously.) Typed letters are neat and pretty, and although some people's handwriting is as good as typed letters, usually, handwriting tends to be a bit messier. In typed letters, this "g" and this "g" should be identical. But you cannot do that in handwritten letters. And I love that. I used to take calligraphy lessons, and the teachers always said that (handwritten) letters tell a lot about the person. Every person has different handwriting, I can't help thinking, and connecting it to their personalities.
Third, writing is actually therapeutic, I think. If you want to, you can write multiple letters every single day. But not many people do that. Most people who write letters would do that maybe once in a while, if not very frequently. If you have to sit at a desk, and write with a pen all the time, you'd get tired of it. But doing so sometimes feels good. I really love the feelings of a pen running smoothly on a piece of paper. And letters are not like theses or papers you have to submit to professors. You don't have the pressure to make them look good. It's all about being genuine and honest about your feelings. You never have to plan out like you would in papers. Run your pen as it goes. Feel the action of yourself moving a pen to generate letters. Writing and typing is very different.
Lastly, if you become a letter writer, you'll have a enjoyment of going on a shopping for writing papers and envelopes! There are so many beautiful writing papers out there. I go to writing papers and envelopes sections not because I have a plan to write a letter. I just go because I love looking at them, and seeing if there's anything I particularly love. I get so excited to write letters whenever I see a good design. When I am writing a letter to a person from overseas, I always choose Japanese-themed paper. I have sushi writing paper, ninja writing paper, sumo wrestler writing paper, kabuki writing paper, etc. I also love writing on seasonal-themed paper. For example, in March or during the early April, I choose cherry blossom paper. And I could choose different theme for different seasons (e.g., during summer, fireworks or morning glories, during fall, fall leaves, etc.). Writing a letter is not just about the action of writing itself; it's also about preparing the materials for you to write with, like cooking isn't only about the action of standing at the kitchen and producing a meal, but also about going out, and buying the ingredients you need. Don't just write on a random piece of paper you happened to find in your room. Enjoy taking time for finding the right paper because it's also a fun part.
Ok, so this ended up being quite long. Or is it? I'm really bad at writing briefly, or summarizing, so I think my posts are always kind of long. Yeah, I'm satisfied. I don't have any conclusion for this. If I had to, I'd say the conclusion is: I love writing letters. If you made this far, well, thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed somehow, but even if you didn't, please don't complain because I never guaranteed you that this post was going to be exciting. lol Alright, I'll go. Bye!
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