It's my personal belief that kind words and appreciation are never wasted. They're never too late to be expressed, and when we are so moved, we should say our thanks and give our praise.
So, this summer [less than a month ago] I read this book that was kind of incredible- I mean it was a novel- not unlike the chick-lit, beach reads I'm fond of- - but this one, for some reason, was so much better to me than all the rest. And so, on a whim, I decided to write the author a piece of fan main (sent to her agent.) I've never written fan mail before- mostly because I always figured it doesn't get delivered...it just ends up in a bin or a stack to be read by publishers' interns...but for some reason, I decided that this one time, it mattered- this lovely author earned my praise, and I'll be darned- I would send it! I didn't have any expectations when I sent it- I think I figured *absolute* best case scenario was that she would read the letter with her own eyes. Actual outcome?
This package-- which while I write this, is still unopened. It's return-addressed the author's home address- which leads me to believe it is in fact from her. [side note- is her handwriting awesome or what?]
I've had this unopened in my possession for almost 3 hours now. I wanted to write this post before I open it so that I could try and capture my emotion. It's silly- because maybe there's simply a note that says "thank you for your fan mail." But my emotion in this moment is one of elation- - I kind of have butterflies and my throat feels slightly constricted- I think it's because my heart expanded and is now overflowing with joy to the point that the neighboring organs are slightly squashing beneath my elation! I think this feeling, subconsciously, is why I'm such a proponent of snail mail- because when someone opens that mailbox their first thought just has to be, "look- I matter!" And the people I write do matter to me. They matter so much that an e-mail, text, phone call, or facebook post wouldn't prove their worth- only a handwritten letter would suffice. Here's to elated moods, abounding joy, and how special we all are, that we are so loved that people take the time and effort to show how much we matter.
xoxo
Rachel
