At the beginning of January, I promised articles more thoughtful than botanical nature for this month. Here is the second.
"Correspondent: Someone with whom one becomes friends through the exchange of letters, especially if they live abroad and have never met. *
The idea of a pen pal being able to communicate via text, email, or video chat seems strange in today's world. With such speed, why do we continue to pick up a pen and write?
When I think about it, it reminds me of my best friend's family who moved to another world when her father was invited to teach at a foreign university for a year. The steady stream of airgrams that Becky and I exchanged has greatly strengthened the United States Postal Service.
It also reminds me of the summer of 1970, when I was an exchange student in India. Telephone service in the country was very unstable; I can't imagine what a "long distance call" to the US would cost or how much it would cost. It took decades before mobile phones became accessible, affordable and widely used. No wonder: that summer, my family and I trusted Aerogram; A seven-day trip each way.
Back home, my host sister and I contacted each other by email – no more aerograms! These folded papers were very expensive. I still have many of them and appreciate the way they make the past more current and real. Today, my host sister and I video chat regularly. Although I sometimes miss physical letters and that sudden relief in my heart when I receive a "real" message from a distant mailbox, it's amazing to be able to do this. A person's handwriting can convey something that a printed letter cannot.
When I was little, I thought I would find a pen pal I had never met. So while these matches I mentioned are close to the mark, they lack the mystery and mystery I'm looking for.
I gave up on the idea a long time ago; In fact, I had forgotten about it. And I love everything that email, text, and video chat have to offer. But a few years ago I received a letter from a reader in response to one of my articles. I answered. A few months later, Nan wrote again. I responded and we were soon in formal correspondence. It was great to find gardening as common ground, but we quickly moved from gardening topics to family, travel, and silly stories.
Despite everything, Nan proved to be a kind, intelligent and good-natured person. At some point I realized I wanted to meet him. We've tried several times, but she lives about 45 minutes from me, doesn't have a reliable phone, and doesn't email. Real-time connection attempts simply failed. I was desperate, but I finally realized that I had a real pen pal, a regular pen pal that I had never met, so what's the problem?
As gardeners, our job is to take tiny seeds and encourage them to become food that nourishes the body. Nani's first letter was a little seed that grew into something that nourished my soul.
You know what comes next: an invitation to pick up a pen and write a beautiful, conversational letter to someone who wants to hear from you. Share a story from last season's garden, describe a winter landscape, or share your dream for this summer's garden. It may be a letter you continue to reread years later.
* https://www.leaderpub.com/2016/02/11/pen-pals-can-become-friends-for-life/
Pam Baxter is a passionate organic gardener living in Kimberton. Email pamelacbaxter@gmail.com or email PO Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Share your gardening stories at Chester County Roots on Facebook. Pam's nature books for children and families are available on Amazon at amazon.com/author/pamelabaxter.
