I have a shoebox on top of my closet that I've had for 12 years and at least 10 moves. It's full of old letters that my friends wrote to me at various times in my youth. Every now and then,I'll be feeling sentimental, and I'll drag that box off the corner top shelf, and reread them. They show me a little bit of what I was like back then. Since I am not the writer, only the receiver, of these letters, I also see what my friends were like. Some of the letters I remember. I remember what I was doing when I read them. There is one from my childhood best friend that I remember reading in the kitchen when I lived in Arizona. I remember it because it filled me with disappointment in the choices she was making, and made me realize we were drifting apart. Another is from my "cousin". I remember reading it sitting in my room in Washington. She is a few years older that me, so I remember feeling somewhat honored that she, a mature high school student, would be associating with me, a lowly 8th grader! There was email when I received these letters, but we weren't quite comfortable using it. There were cell phones, but we didn't own them. These letters are a snapshot of my youth, a piece that I would've forgotten over time if not for them. I've had my current email address for over five years, but not one of my saved emails is older that a year. Does this mean that when I hit 50, I won't remember, nor have any way of remembering, little pieces of my life? And what of my children? They will probably never hand write a letter to any of their friends. Sure, they can save their emails and texts, but will they? What will be my children's "shoebox"?Tuesday, February 24, 2009
My Children's "Shoebox"
I have a shoebox on top of my closet that I've had for 12 years and at least 10 moves. It's full of old letters that my friends wrote to me at various times in my youth. Every now and then,I'll be feeling sentimental, and I'll drag that box off the corner top shelf, and reread them. They show me a little bit of what I was like back then. Since I am not the writer, only the receiver, of these letters, I also see what my friends were like. Some of the letters I remember. I remember what I was doing when I read them. There is one from my childhood best friend that I remember reading in the kitchen when I lived in Arizona. I remember it because it filled me with disappointment in the choices she was making, and made me realize we were drifting apart. Another is from my "cousin". I remember reading it sitting in my room in Washington. She is a few years older that me, so I remember feeling somewhat honored that she, a mature high school student, would be associating with me, a lowly 8th grader! There was email when I received these letters, but we weren't quite comfortable using it. There were cell phones, but we didn't own them. These letters are a snapshot of my youth, a piece that I would've forgotten over time if not for them. I've had my current email address for over five years, but not one of my saved emails is older that a year. Does this mean that when I hit 50, I won't remember, nor have any way of remembering, little pieces of my life? And what of my children? They will probably never hand write a letter to any of their friends. Sure, they can save their emails and texts, but will they? What will be my children's "shoebox"?
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with gmail you never have to delete an email :)
ReplyDeleteYou are so cute. I used to save my letters as well. I remember writing to girls that I met at girls camps or people I met on vacations. I'm not sure that I have these letters anymore but it makes me want to save them if I do. I know what you mean about writing letters though. People used to go visit with other people and have tea and cookies (my mom told me about that). It's sad how with technology we drift further and further from the people we care about when technology is supposed to bring us together.
ReplyDeleteYou really should be a writer by the way.
Tony, That's good to know! The problem has never been space though...
ReplyDeleteRachel, I agree it is sad about technology. My co worker and I were just talking about how we went from visiting face to face, to phone calls, to answering machines, and now texts! We don't even want to SPEAK to people anymore!!!!
when did you start a blog? why was i not informed?! kristin
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