Somewhere between read receipts, heart emojis, and the ever-enthusiastic “adorable-heart GIF,” we lost something. Not intentionally. It just… slipped away. The handwritten note. The postcard. The simple act of slowing down long enough to put pen to paper and say, I’m thinking of you.
This past year, a college roommate I haven’t seen in ages reminded me just how powerful that small act can be. She decided she was going to stay in touch with a handful of friends—not through texts or social media—but by sending postcards. And she did. One showed up, then another, each a tiny snapshot of her life that wasn’t curated, filtered, or posted for the masses. Just for me.
I kept one postcard—covered in fun stickers—and started using it as a bookmark. On a day that was not going well (you know the kind), I opened my book and there it was. That little reminder that someone, somewhere, took the time to write my name, find a stamp, and drop it in the mail. It landed deeper than any double tap ever could.
That’s the magic of handwritten notes. They show intimacy and effort. They stand out in a digital world where everything is fast, fleeting, and easily deleted. Unlike texts, notes become keepsakes—tucked into books, pinned to refrigerators, slipped into drawers to be reread years later. They communicate sincerity in a way typing just can’t. Your handwriting carries personality. Emotion. Humanity.
They even stand out in the dating world of endless swipes and short attention spans. A handwritten note says, I see you. I chose you. I took time.
And here’s the best part: it doesn’t have to be hard. You don’t need perfect penmanship or poetic prose. This isn’t a novel. One or two sentences is enough. “I saw this and thought of you.” “Thank you for being you.” “I’m really glad you’re in my life.”
It can be simple. Or fancy, if that’s your thing—pretty cards, beautiful stamps, maybe even a wax seal if you’re feeling extra. The point isn’t perfection. It’s intention.
This February, as we celebrate Love Local, consider sharing the love in the most old-fashioned way possible. Write it down. Send it off. You never know whose day—or heart—you might change.
PULL QUOTE: "Sharing love doesn’t require a grand gesture—just a pen, a few words, and the intention to connect.”