Snapshot: Letter

I like writing letters and cards. I feel the same glee as when I take a picture with my Polaroid camera. A letter or card captures the thoughts and emotions of a certain moment. A snapshot of one’s mind and heart. The documentation is so immediate, yet the delivery is delayed. It’s quite mysterious and fascinating to me. By the time a person receives a letter or card, the writer may feel entirely different. I suppose this doesn’t relate to the internet or emails as much because one can instantly send and receive letters at the speed of a face-to-face conversation without the actual face-to-face part.

The postal service amazes me. I think there’s something quite special about physically sending and receiving a letter. Is it the physical touch? Perhaps the faint aroma of the writer’s space? The smudge from a chocolate bar, a small splash of transparency from the citric acid that squirted from biting an orange slice? I believe something is lost from our direct connectedness in the form of the internet and cell phones. I find it quite beautiful waiting for a letter, re-reading a letter over and over again while waiting for the next one, contemplating a letter. I think we’ve lost the contemplating and feeling aspects of communication because we simply don’t have time to process.

I suppose I have mixed feelings about it. I like how we can all be so globally connected; I’m a news junkie and love emails, blogging. I guess I just miss letters and waiting. I remember Helen, Lokelani and I used to write letters to one another all the time when we were little. We would mail them during the week because we didn’t go to school together and it was so fun to read about what song they were listening to on the radio, what boy they liked that day, and how they spent their day. I would imagine their rest of the week. I think we’re losing room for imagination.

I recently thought about ending my cell phone service and investing in a house phone with answering machine. Remember those? I think I get so sucked into my cell phone when I’m out and about – driving, walking, shopping, etc. I think it’s time I got off the phone and just enjoyed the moments, lived in the moments. When I’m on the phone while doing any other activity, I’m involved in the conversation. I’m off in some imaginary/real world where conversations take place. Even though my friend’s not physically there with me, I feel that he/she is with me in our conversation world. I think I want to miss and feel the loss/absence of the person, then appreciate the time that we spend together. I feel like I’m missing out on the actual moments before me. I don’t think I’m making much sense because I really like talking with people on the phone, especially when I see something that reminds me of them, or vice versa. I think I can have the best of both worlds somehow.

I miss my Polaroid camera. I should take more pictures. I’m going to start carrying around the clunker again.