Today is World Poetry Day—the perfect day to bring back the lost art of the love letter.
Who doesn’t love finding a sweet poem from your other half, friend, mystery crush? However, social media’s promises of bringing us closer together have, say some, actually driven us further apart, all the while killing the humble love letter.
Instead, poems have taken a back seat to Post-It-Notes on the fridge, DMs and text messages — “Can you pick the kids up? Dinner’s in the oven. I’ll be home late. Wine? What shall we do this weekend?”
Jo Power, founder of Things by Bean and expert wordsmith, says there is much to be gained from resurrecting a letter infused with love.
Rediscovering the Love Letter
“Written words have an awesome permanence to them. I’ll occasionally go back to special emails that family and friends have written to me. They’re fun to re-read, but not nearly as fun and moving as the special handwritten notes, cards and journals I have tucked away in a big yellow box under my bed.”
She adds: “The physical contact you make with paper creates a bond to the paper itself and, more importantly, the words written on it. And when you engage with words on that physical level, you’ll probably appreciate them more because you’ve bonded with them in a way.”
They’re fun to re-read, but not nearly as fun and moving as the special handwritten notes, cards and journals I have tucked away in a big yellow box under my bed.
Relationship expert, Isiah McKimmie, agrees.
“We can so often forget to tell our partner the little things that we appreciate about them. We think they know the reasons we love them so much – but actually hearing it from us can make such a difference. Love requires action. Taking time to write a love note to our partner shows them through actions that we care and we’re making an effort. Writing a love note can brighten their day, help them feel connected to you and build love.”
Put that pen to paper, share your thoughts with a loved one. It will be excellent therapy for you, too!
Remember to Appreciate
A poem about self-love and appreciation, written by Jo Power, Things by Bean
This is just one minute
In one hour
In one day
Of one whole year
In all the decades of my life
Each day isn’t a step toward a destination
Every day is a destination of its own
Don’t rush
Don’t stress
Appreciate
Appreciate
Appreciate everyone that loves me
There’s no destination to race toward
Remember
If I died tomorrow
I would want today to be fantastic
[amazon_link asins=’0446690228,B004KZOWEQ,1614293317,1535402660′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’ebe-us’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e77a6232-2c85-11e8-a351-e1c581e8a6ff’]
