For the last few years, as the year draws to a close, I sit down to write a hand-written letter to my children.
The letter is a personal and sincere way of saying thanks for the past year together. We celebrate the fun times and challenges we may have encountered.
The act of writing using a pen and paper, is somewhat different from typing. Your thoughts settle before you put them down because you wordsmith as you go along. You are careful not to put pen to paper until you have constructed the word or sentence just right.
Writing can be a therapeutic process. It actively engages the mind, forcing your imagination into play. Writing the year-end letter is no different. In fact, when you take time recounting the times you spent together, chances are you will uncover happy memories you might have forgotten. The letter is a chance to re-live those memories with the person you shared the experience with.
There is a deeper purpose for the letter that is not articulated, but implied.
In a society that is driven by immediacy and instant gratification, our ‘always-on’ mode of living is affecting how we communicate, socialise and build communities. There is less connection on a human level, people are becoming lonelier, and depression among children is increasing. The more isolated we become, the more humanity suffers. The letter is about being human and creating an intimate connection with those we love.
With 2018 beckoning and Christmas now only 3 ‘sleepies’ away, I would like to wish you well. May humanness, compassion and generosity abound for you and your loved ones.
Merry Christmas!
Originally published at https://www.leapfirst.co.za on July 26, 2020.
