the letters

One letter every day for 365 days.

That is my goal for myself, and it will be documented on this blog.

Why?

My entire life, I've loved receiving mail.  I would check the mail when I got off the bus in elementary and middle school, praying that something in that box would be for me.

Occasionally, I'd get magazines or catalogs-- American Girl catalogs were always a treat.  Sometimes, I'd get Delta airlines offers for sky miles or credit cards-- that made me feel very adult.  But every now and then, I'd open the mailbox and find inside a letter addressed to me.  The feeling this brought me, and continues to bring me to this day, is pure joy.

You see, when I get a letter, I know that someone took time out of their busy day to write to me.  They used their fancy stationery or bought me a card.  They found a good pen and wrote a message meant only for me.  Then, they found a stamp (which, if you're like me, means a special trip to the post office every single time you want to send something).  Last, they put it in the mail and some wonderful mail carriers saw that it got from their hands to mine.

The whole process is relatively simple, and has been around seemingly forever, but the outcome is just so magical.  The initial moment when you see that a letter has come to you is so thrilling, then you read the letter and you feel sentimental and touched, then you save it somewhere special and smile every time you come across it.  Like I said before: pure joy.

So, I have now embarked on a mission to share this wonderful feeling with friends, family and even strangers by writing a letter a day for an entire year.  It will be tough, of course.  I'll go on vacations, deal with school and exams, get busy, and be positive that I simply can't fit a letter into my day.  But, I'm going to try my hardest to do it and hope that along the way I can spread a little joy through letters from Mallory.