When written down, our words are powerful.

February has been a month of deep engagement with friends, family and acquaintances through the simple act of daily letter writing for InCoWriMo (international correspondence writing month). The month is wrapping up and while I was not faithful in my letter writing every day (life does tend to interrupt at times) the focus on connecting with others through snail mail was a welcome departure from text messages and email.

Certainly digital communication has its place and plays a vital role in our society, but there’s something almost magical about receiving and sending tangible mail.

I know I’ve said it before but it continues to surprise even me. The joy and spark I find in snail mail seems inexplicable but I think I may be closer to understanding why, in part thanks to the latest book I’ve picked up titled, 100 Letters That Changed The World, by Colin Salter.

It seems that throughout history – both distant past, and recent present – the written word has been held sacred. Re-reading past letters throughout time has helped us trace the trajectories of countries and movements. It has helped us better understand the minds of great thinkers and artists. Letter’s have even even been at the crux of finding peace for nations all over the world.

Letters have truly changed the world, as Salter observed through his collection and analysis of prominent letters through history. So it’s then no wonder that I find such energy in them!

As a young student, and well into… well, today, I’ve always been moved to seek out possibilities to change the world in large and small ways. In high school I was sure I’d grow up to be a U.N. ambassador (and find some sexy Latin husband). In college I was positively convinced I’d eradicate all acts of institutionalized marginalization, and in graduate school I was bound and determined to become the type of educator who taught the next generation what it was to be fair and equal towards all people.

And while none of that came to fruition in the way I had envisioned it, and none of my letters have been as poignant in history as those in Salter’s book, I still continue my drive to do what I can to change the world in my own small ways. Sometimes that’s with a letter to someone whose recently suffered a loss in their life. Sometimes it’s with a note of encouragement in my son’s lunch box, and sometimes it’s through a text message to my brother who moves through the city like a shadow.

Words have immense power and when they are written, down where they can be revisited over and over again, they have a staying power that can truly change the world. Even a simple unassuming letter, which was never intended to reach beyond it’s recipient, can make bold marks on this planet.

InCowriMo 2020 may be coming to an end, but words and letter writing will continue to exist until we stop believing in their power to change the world.

---

Join the conversation: Tell me, what piece of writing, letter, speech, or quote has changed your world? Leave a comment below. And if you want to receive email updates for new blog posts, and my monthly newsletter, subscribe below.

Enter your name and email below to receive monthly newsletters, weekly blog updates + a free downloadable pocket zine of watercolor art and small scraps of paper.

First Name

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you’re human: