Writing thanks. By hand.

I am a paper nerd. As in I adore stationary and look for opportunities to hoard it and share it with fellow coveters.

I am also apparently a philatelist, or enthusiast of stamps. I didn't fully realize this passion until I began amassing Johnny Cash stamps last year, and considering whether intended recipients would appreciate The Man In Black appropriately.

But I digress. All that paper and stamp love is put to use on a nearly daily basis by writing thank you notes.

You see, being thankful and grateful is standard operating procedure at RSC. We like to justify our paper/stamp/pen (our pen problem warrants a separate post for real) obsessions through hand writing notes of thanks and commendation.

The act of picking up a pen and writing forces us to set down the devices, focus and articulate gratitude. We also love that hand written notes are well, special, given the way we communicate in todays tech-heavy world.

When is the last time you received a piece of mail that was hand written? Crazy, when you think about it, right?

Sometimes, when I get behind on note-writing, I wonder to myself if its worth the relative effort. If anyone appreciates the care that went into choosing the stamp, or pen color used to craft the message.

Then I meet someone in person that I've only communicated with via email, but thanked by handwritten note. The first thing they mention, after realizing we know each other already?

Thank you for that lovely note.

And we instantly bond over a love of stamps and letterpress.