Recently, I have been getting a lot of questions as well as requests to talk about my happy mail /pen paling experience and maybe share some tips on the topic or what I learned along the way So here I am, almost midnight, laying in bed and typing this on my cellphone because I felt inspired in the moment. :)
Excuse any typos, I will check this again in the morning, but just in case I miss any :D
So let's get to it, shall we? :)
It's not enough to say that I've been the luckiest girl to have some of the dearest people as my pen pals and that my experience is not only a pleasant one, but it has seriously rocked my world and heart in a most beautiful way. :)
To be honest, I've started writing this blog post, somewhat like a tutorial on how to start pen paling, where to find a pen pal and what it all means... But somewhere along the way I realized I never had that info when I started out. Did I really need it? Do you really need it? I'll try to explain why I'm saying all of this later on so bear with me ;)
And for all of you who want the technical details, instructions, tips, tricks and how to's - that's a totally valid starting point! And, of course, there are so many resources out there that can help you in that path! :)
If you're into Instagram, try following the hashtag #happymail or #penpals or #penpalswanted. Or simply Google a bit around the topic and you can discover lots!
But still, I would love it if you could read through and maybe, just maybe, I can try to catch the essence of my experience - jumping into letter writing, unexperienced. :)
Happy mail, for me, is kindness in an envelope and letter writing the physical manifestation of thoughts exchanged, emotions shared, friendships made... many times with people you never met, probably never will, but feel as though you have known them for a lifetime.
Can you feel it? That little tingle of excitement of starting something new? Maybe meeting someone new? Opening up your mailbox and there it is! A hug in an envelope :)
Or getting a message your letter was well received and it made someone smile!
Can you feel it?
.
.
.
Magic, right? :)
So yes, that's mainly why I decided not to get into all the technical details of how, where and what to do to start writing letters, find pen pals, what exactly is happy mail.
I, myself, started simply by sending a message to someone, sparking a conversation and proposing to send a letter. Simple as that! :)
If I can offer any advice (and I definitely don't consider myself to be any kind of expert, just someone who has had a great experience) is to be kind, open up and reach out to people. Kindness matters and happy mail is something that I find can help us share that stuff around as much as we can :)
So have fun, explore, meet new people, send a postcard from your home town, decorate an envelope for someone, not because it's your turn, but just because.
Share your thoughts, share a washi sample (and you know we all love washi :D), enjoy the thrill of finding a letter in your mailbox, write when you feel it not when you think you must and, lastly - be kind!
New friends might just be around the corner or at the other half of the globe. Postage stamps are magic, envelopes are paper hugs and happy mail is happiness. :)
I need to sleep now, work tomorrow and all that jazz so until next time! :)
xoxo,
petra @mnemekix
