Nostalgia or poor memory?

By Dorothy Rosby

I’ve never been the nostalgic type. The way I see it, nostalgia is the false sense that things were better because they happened so long ago we can’t remember them accurately. Still I have to admit there are a few things I miss from the past—rolodexes, manual typewriters, encyclopedias, prizes in the bottom of cereal boxes. I’m kidding. I don’t miss those.

But one thing I really do miss is letters. You remember those. I used to love getting letters in the mail—real letters from friends or family. Not letters from political candidates asking for money or letters from the clerk of courts telling me I’m on jury duty. I still get those.

There’s something truly wonderful about receiving a letter from someone you care about. I’m not nostalgic about it though. You’ll notice I said I miss receiving letters. I don’t miss writing them. I spent a lot of time writing letters long ago because it vastly improved my chances of getting any. That probably wouldn’t even work these days. If I wrote someone a letter now, they’d probably text me back to thank me for it.

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