I miss handwriting. I never wanted to be one of those old people who laments about the “good ol’ days”, but there are certain things that I wish could have a revival. Handwriting is one of those lost arts that we don’t see too much of anymore. It needs to be brought back.
What is more personal than handwriting? It’s funny, but back when I was in school, we spent as much time learning handwriting as we did learning geometry. It was always taught by the most anal-retentive, meticulous teacher in the school. We all had the same practice books with the connect the dots configurations and yet, in the end, despite the hours and hours of “practice makes perfect”, none of our handwriting looks the same. Handwriting is one of our own personal markers, almost like fingerprints. When you get that rare card (never a letter anymore) in the snail mail, you usually know who it is from before you even open the card. Even if the handwriting is awful and messy and hard to read, it is lovely, because it is a true personal stamp of a person you care about.
Today’s conversations are mostly done in digital form. It makes sense. Email and texts are efficient, easy and convenient. They are easy to read. But none of that is nearly as personal as our own handwriting. The emoticons and GIFs and many fonts are all somebody else’s creation, borrowed and apropos, but missing the element of “uniquely you.”
My handwriting has definitely gotten worse and less legible over the years. I imagine that this is due to a combination of age and lack of use. My husband always teases me about my vast collection of pens that I store like they are hurricane supplies. I have an entire shelf devoted to beautiful stationery. I delight in those chalkboard signs that cute eateries have where the employee with the prettiest handwriting has displayed the day’s menu highlights in a rainbow of chalk colors. I think it is possible that handwriting is a lost art that will someday be featured in art galleries around the world. I’ll buy a ticket to see that exhibition. It will be wonderful!