The Pen(written thank you) is Mightier than the Sword

      For many, one of the indelible moments associated with the transition into adulthood is high school graduation.  I can vividly recall several events that I occurred on the days leading up to and after my graduation.  I remember being overwhelmed with excitement to move to college and start life on my own, I was grateful for the gifts that I received to help me towards the next step in life, and finally, I can still recall the dull pain that came from writing what seemed to be an infinite amount of “thank you” letters to those that were generous to me during this momentous event.

     Following that day, it was nearly four years before I wrote anyone a handwritten thank you note.  Whether it was memory of the endless stack of letters at graduation, or more plausibly the ease of use associated with recently established technologies (e-mail, text message, social media), I didn't see the need to send a primitive handwritten thank you letter.  Then, in early 2008, I had a paradigm shift.

      Working as an intern in Minor League Baseball for the Memphis Redbirds, one of the functions of my job was ensuring that those having group outings were being fully taken care of and were having a premiere experience.  Invariably, I would receive e-mails from group leaders telling me they had a great time and thanking me from the experience.  In turn, I would respond back thanking them for the opportunity to serve them.  As sincere as both sides were probably trying to be, the e-mails seemed transactional and contrived.  

     One day, I went to fill up on Dr. Pepper, (yes, they had a fountain soda machine in the break room!), and stopped in the mail room on the way.  In my cubbyhole I had a letter from a small church group that had purchased a no frills package weeks prior.  The group leader took the time to write me a very neatly penned thank you card, put a stamp on it, and put it in the mail.  The effort she put forth to say “thank you” said more to me than the message did.

     As a result, any time that I have meaningful dialogue with someone and am truly appreciative for the discussion, I send a handwritten thank you note.  Whereas an e-mail or social media message may suffice for certain things, I believe that a handwritten note says as much in the effort you put into it than the content of the message.  In my opinion, a handwritten letter tells the recipient several things:

• You’re worth using a tangible good (card/stationary).
• The interaction meant enough to go the extra mile to mail or personally deliver a message.
• The sender was focused solely on writing the letter, as there is no backspace function on pen and paper.
• Chances are the sender experienced some level of discomfort (hand cramping) or frustration (ink blots, misspellings, etc.) to send a more thoughtful message. 
• Handwriting a letter takes 2-3 times longer for an average person than typing.

      In closing, I know that handwriting a “thank you” may seem inconvenient and difficult to justify considering how easy it is to type out the same words.  With that said, I’ve kept every handwritten thank you letter I've received in the past 6 years for helping someone out.  Conversely, I’ve lost almost any instant message or e-mail thank you I've received.

Click above to read the thank you note.