Box of Sunshine

In the wooden cupboard, amidst my sister’s old, thick and tiny-lettered engineering books, sits a wooden box. Wrapped in pretty paper with sunflowers all over it, it is hard to be unnoticed. Once in a while, I open it and carefully unfold the letters and little notes that it stores. Handwritings, some neat while some scrawled, personalize the yellowing papers and I can’t help but believe that no matter how many years have passed, the feelings penned down, linger on.

In the era of face book and twitter, I somehow miss the chore of going to buy a pretty letter pad or even neatly tearing a page out of a notebook, choosing a pen, scribbling out the right words without the option of delete or backspace, carefully folding the paper and placing it in an envelope, buying stamps (maybe even walking to the post office) and posting it. Sigh. Gone are those days when we made sweet efforts to be in touch with our friends and communication was not confined to a “wall”.

There was a time, perhaps a few lights years ago, when I and my friends never got dead beat of posting and receiving letters. I remember buying new sets of glitter pens, sketch pens and crayons every now and then to adorn cards and letters. I always believed it made my friends feel special. And trust me when I say this (but do not laugh) that I still have a set of crayons and sketches in my cupboard, not ‘cause I draw but as I keep looking for a chance to use them for that special touch.

A few days back, one of my very good friends in Delhi asked me for my address, much to my awe and surprise. He further surprised me by adding “let’s be pen friends. I haven’t written to anyone in ages”. And obviously, I agreed right away.

So, while I go back to re- reading all the old letters, I hope you guys draw out your pens and perhaps instead of wall-ing or texting, write a small note to a friend. :)