1560 words
We live in a landscape occupied by a dizzying number of hobbies. Everything imaginable has many enthusiast groups dedicated to every possible niche within the interest. I did not plan to write about these humans, but through writing about other subjects, these groups kept popping up. Whether it was writing about enthusiasts in various collector communities and the pathologies that plague them, or how watches are wrongfully received by enthusiasts who never hold or use the product in the field, or how some professional and recreational divers echo falsehoods even as they practice the opposite, or how mechanical keyboard enthusiasts stick to tropes and prejudge not only the keyboard, but the human using it. Most of these groups of enthusiasts have a couple of things in common. Whether they would like to admit it or not, they are status-driven, and they are not interested in bettering the lives of others through their hobby. Last week, out of curiosity, I took the chance to meet a group of enthusiasts who, other than knitters and yogis, got together to do just that—to bring light to those in their hearts.
Nestled in a small stationery store near Toronto’s beautiful Little Italy, the idyllic and charming store served as the foreground to a beautiful Sunday morning. This charm was not manufactured either. It was heartfelt and sincere. The family-owned shop recently welcomed its owners back from their trip abroad, and all those in attendance did as well.
A great stationery store will not only have paper, pens, and inks but also great literature and other items you had not considered before.
These enthusiasts did not make the trek to the core of the city to show off their stationery collections; they came together to write letters by hand to those in their hearts. It takes a special kind of soul to take the time to write a meaningful, long-form letter to someone out of immediate reach. As I looked around, I saw the many valued connections that everyone in attendance held dear through their pen strokes.
The handwritten letter is the very next best thing that someone can do besides buying a plane ticket and being there with you in person. One’s writing used to be as unique as one’s fingerprint. With the growing presence of generative tools on our devices, we all now speak as one lobotomized hive mind that never reads past the headlines for our worldview.
The handwritten letter allows the recipient to hold your presence in their hands, to translate every organic turn of your cursive into that familiar voice with its unique cadence and set of timbers that fluctuate ever so slightly depending on your mood. More importantly, the handwritten letter can always be revisited.
Through their love of paper, pens, inks, and other forms of stationery that I was not aware of before that morning, these quiet, gentle, and focused souls all chose to better someone’s life through their hobby. This is not common amongst enthusiast communities, and fostering such a community is something the owners and employees at Wonder Pens should be proud of.
I wrote about how I came to journalling here and about my small cursive writing. This resulted in my finding the right writing instrument: a fountain pen with an extremely fine nib. This search brought me to this stationery store, for I wanted to support a local business rather than put my hard-earned money into an online storefront from the States. Meeting enthusiasts is something that I inevitably do as a writer, and over time, it became easy to see not only how genuine someone was about their interest but also if that interest was only directed inward. Upon my first visit to this stationery shop, I was reassured in making the hour-and-a-half drive through Toronto’s heinous traffic to see them. The store manager and employees were eager and knowledgeable, and their love for pens and stationery was contagious. All small stores do not share this ambiance and genuine love for their work. Some others I visited were either disinterested in their work or downright hostile to customers who did not look like them. So, I took the leap and signed up for their letter-writing club to not only see if this unfeigned enthusiasm was shared amongst their customers, but also to write a series of letters that I had been meaning to write for a couple of months.
The unfortunate reality is that digital communications have all but killed off the act and craft of letter writing. So much so that the older cashier at the post office I visited for fun stamps was shocked to learn that I was sending handwritten letters. For all but those seemingly in their 60s and 70s, emails have now strictly become the domain of professional correspondence and newsletters that only serve to be unsubscribed from. Text messages from busy adults have become the battlegrounds where emergencies are handled or where only the dearest friends reach out for a potential pint. Because these digital forms of communication are constantly present with us on our mobile phones, boundaries are necessarily set within them. The group chat allows for a level of nonchalance as one can have its notifications turned off without the fear of leaving a loved one on the side of a road somewhere in the middle of the night.
This is what has killed the handwritten letter. Group chats have made it incredibly easy and acceptable to ask, “Hey, how are you today? It’s been a while,” and to have a certain degree of certainty that you will receive an answer. When reading biographies by David McCullough, you can feel the power and the significance of every letter that Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, John. They were incredibly measured, crafted, and purposeful in not only learning about the person on the other end but also giving them a window into your life and that hopefully everything is alright.
I chose to write to a few individuals who avoid group chats because of the respectable boundaries they have set between themselves and their mobile phones. I have only finished writing one of the letters, and I do not expect them to write back. I simply want them to know that in the dark hours that visit all of us, that they matter and are more important than they will ever give themselves credit for. The first two letters that I have outlined, yes, I even write outlines for handwritten letters, would best be summed up today as “giving someone their flowers” – an act of acknowledging their significance and the fact that they are appreciated on an unprecedented level. Also, these two individuals are way too selfless ever to acknowledge themselves in such a positive light.
The time we spent in the letter-writing club was brief, and most used their pens to talk to others. Some were merely sending out cards with small messages accompanied by custom ink stamps. Yet, a few individuals were there who tried their best to write as much as they could. Their intense focus was infectious as it was selfless. If you find yourself interested in writing someone a letter, I do have a few tips that should make the process easier.
First, choose the recipient wisely. Ensuring that the person reading one of your first letters is someone you are comfortable writing to is key. Second, do not be afraid to express yourself with extreme candour. Allowing yourself to write with your traditional set of guards set aside will go a long way towards making the letter endearing, treasured and impactful. Third, choose someone whom you have not corresponded with recently or someone whom your interactions with them are always in a group. Taking the time to write a handwritten letter is one thing, but you also want to respect the reader’s time by not retreading overly familiar ground. Fourth, do not be afraid of typos and mistakes. One person across the table from me mentioned that mistakes “are a part of the letter,” she said emphatically. “It’s what gives it charm.” I do not prescribe this and go to great lengths, such as outlines and drafts, to ensure that there are no typos, but she had a great point. This would relieve the reader from the overly sterile forms of digital communications they are accustomed to. Lastly, the ink, paper, and pen you use should not be the letter’s focus; the letter and its message should be. If you have chosen your recipient wisely, this is what they will cherish. The choice of stationery further gives your letter a personal touch for every decision made matters and elevates the connection you will make with your reader.
After speaking to others on the topic, I found that the few who still write letters by hand are primarily readers and lovers of stationery. Hobbies that focus on analogue processes all accomplish the goal of slowing down. Writing by hand, shooting a manual-focus film camera, and winding your watch all have a meditative aspect. So, if you have a little spare time this weekend, find a local store like I did. The store and its people alone will lower your blood pressure and set you at ease. You owe it to yourself to explore the act of slowing down for your sake and to use this newfound hobby to bring light to the lives of those around you.
Time of writing: August 23rd, 2024