Handwritten Note to a Neighbor Can Be a Game-Changer


When a neighbor receives a kind note from us in the mail, especially if it is handwritten, they feel like we have a deeper desire to serve them or to connect.

One might say that a handwritten note can be a game-changer, especially now when many consider a handwritten note a dying art form.

Isolated and lonely people desire a personal touch, especially now during this COVID pandemic period in history.

A handwritten note is the opposite of what happens on social media. There is no public exposure or influence or group laughter. But there is also none of the negative that comes with social media.

Handwritten notes are tremendously powerful because they are so personal.

Note writing has other benefits too.

A handwritten note can provide a personal touch for isolated people.

Handwritten notes are a great way to be an encourager by telling someone they are valued or doing a great job.

Even introverts, who might be uncomfortable knocking on a door and handing a plate of cookies to a neighbor as part of an introduction, can send a kind handwritten note as an introduction.

In an office, personal notes are a powerful tool for morale and team unity. 

Being able to keep a handwritten note might be an additional benefit to this kind of communication. In a way, keeping the note in a file creates the potential for a long-lasting effect on the recipient.

So, where do you start with this new habit? 

Get yourself some lovely blank cards or stationery, a nice pen, and then watch for ways to show kindness to others. When you see those acts of kindness, write the person a note. In time, you will begin to note more acts of kindness because this exercise will change your focus.

Even if you write one note a week, maybe four or five sentences, this is a positive step toward communicating with somebody else. 

Even something simple like: “I appreciate you as a friend” or “thank you for keeping such a nice yard,” and then send it off. 

Writing a handwritten note and mailing it is about as close as we got to instant social media in the first several centuries of our nation’s history.

For more information on this topic, let me recommend a video from Steve Hartman at CBS, who did a piece for his segment “On the Road” entitled “The lost art of thank you notes.” You can find the video on YouTube.com or directly at this link: https://youtu.be/e_u9W_yIKa4

You might also read John Kralik’s book: 365 Thank Yous: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life. 

If you like this idea and want some practice, and especially if this article has made a difference in your life, write me a note and mail it to David Burton, Greene County MU Extension, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65807.

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