Wednesday, January 18, 2023
A few years ago, my friend, Amanda, sent us a Christmas card with very fanciness on the envelope. I liked it a lot. The next year, I tried some fanciness on my Christmas card envelopes. I liked it a lot. I did it the next year, too. This year I went with a little gift tag idea I got from the internet (I never think things up. I do not ever have creative ideas). I was going to make a fancy bow on every envelope, but lo, and behold, when I got the envelopes out, they were red. The red bows, or any colored bows, were not going to work on red envelopes. Next year, be on the lookout for red bows. Anyway, I went with the gift tag idea and it was all good and fine, until we started getting the cards back because the gift tag had become unglued – leaving an envelope with just a wiggly line on it.
Luckily, it only happened to three of them. Equally luckily, I try to write a personal message in each of my cards, so I could tell who it had originally been addressed to. There were some folks that didn’t get a card before Christmas, because sometimes that just happens, so I needed to write to them. And there were some card senders that sent such an interesting message that they deserved an actual letter back. So, after I crawled out of bed at 3pm (I said I didn’t feel AS bad as I have the last couple times, but I was still solidly feeling lousy), I wrote letters.
It made me wonder about two things. Do people still write letters? I do. I write letters pretty regularly. I had a new year’s resolution to write a letter/week one year. I don’t usually write that many letters, but I do try to because I imagine letters are fun to receive. Think about it – when was the last letter you wrote? The second thing is why is my handwriting so bad? I mean, seriously, it’s not like I never write things by hand. I start out okay – but just okay – and then things really go downhill quickly. I know I start writing more quickly when I get some thoughts going, but really, it’s not good. I kept trying to blame the pen today. (Fail) I tried to slow down. (Fail) I get all wiggly and scribbly after about half a page. I told myself the people I was writing to would forgive me, because they were so happy to get a letter. I’m hoping that is true, because the third, fourth, fifth, etc. letters got no good handwriting at all. I actually have one more to write that I saved to do later because I was hoping another day, I would just suddenly have nice handwriting. It could happen. I think it will. (I always think things will happen. I am very optimistic.)
I think handwriting can be connected to muscle memory the same way dance moves are.
There was a time when we wrote by hand consistently so the handwriting was better.
But having said that I knew children who were fast thinkers and therefore they wrote fast and never seemed to achieve a good handwriting skill.
If I were you just say you are a fast thinker and most people love to receive letters. Not many would even comment on the handwriting surely. 🙂🙂🙂
I think you are right – muscle memory is a real thing. And no one has ever sent back a letter because it was too messy!!
I keep all your envelopes of fanciness on display at our desk because it makes me happy to look at them. I just thought you’d like to know that.
I do like knowing that! Thank you
Do you remember the letters from Aunt Margaret when we were kids? It took several people and many days to decipher the entire thing.
I do remember. I’d like to see one now