"Sir, When we thinke of a friend, we do not count that thought a lost thought, though that friend never knew of it. If we write to a friend, we must not call it a lost Letter, though it never finde him to whom it was addressed: for we owe ourselves that office, to be mindefull of our friends."
~Poet and Preacher John Donne in a letter to a friend (written sometime between 1603 and 1616)
My favorite blogger is girl by the name of Meg Fee. She writes beautifully and with disarming truth. It's that truth that I admire so and it's the lack of it in my own blog posts that I dislike. It's not that I'm incapable of writing the truth-- read my diary sometime-- but I'm loathe to write it here. In the early days, before friends and my mother knew about this blog, I found writing truthfully to be much easier (and safer). Nowadays, I stick to posting pretty pictures, mindless fluff, and the odd quote or bit of poetry that hints at what lies beneath.
In my collection are a bunch of letters that I have started to friends but never finished (or finished and never sent). They're fun for me to look at because they capture for me how I was feeling at that time. And they're honest. Sometimes shockingly so. It scares me a bit to post them here, but in an attempt to be more honest, that's what I intend to do. This feels like a character-growing activity for me because it lets people in to see some of my sensitive spots (and the ugly blights upon my soul as well), but it feels safe-ish, too, because they paint pictures of a former elise, not the current elise.
With that, I humbly submit the Unsent Letter Project. My first entry is rather innocuous; the heady ones will come later. I always was the type to dip my toe in before jumping in completely. This letter is to a girl named Golnar who I had forgotten ever existed until I found this letter. It would have been written circa 1993 (I was a seventh grader), and was to a friend I had left behind after my family moved to Delaware.
The letter (transcribed below):
~Poet and Preacher John Donne in a letter to a friend (written sometime between 1603 and 1616)
My favorite blogger is girl by the name of Meg Fee. She writes beautifully and with disarming truth. It's that truth that I admire so and it's the lack of it in my own blog posts that I dislike. It's not that I'm incapable of writing the truth-- read my diary sometime-- but I'm loathe to write it here. In the early days, before friends and my mother knew about this blog, I found writing truthfully to be much easier (and safer). Nowadays, I stick to posting pretty pictures, mindless fluff, and the odd quote or bit of poetry that hints at what lies beneath.
In my collection are a bunch of letters that I have started to friends but never finished (or finished and never sent). They're fun for me to look at because they capture for me how I was feeling at that time. And they're honest. Sometimes shockingly so. It scares me a bit to post them here, but in an attempt to be more honest, that's what I intend to do. This feels like a character-growing activity for me because it lets people in to see some of my sensitive spots (and the ugly blights upon my soul as well), but it feels safe-ish, too, because they paint pictures of a former elise, not the current elise.
With that, I humbly submit the Unsent Letter Project. My first entry is rather innocuous; the heady ones will come later. I always was the type to dip my toe in before jumping in completely. This letter is to a girl named Golnar who I had forgotten ever existed until I found this letter. It would have been written circa 1993 (I was a seventh grader), and was to a friend I had left behind after my family moved to Delaware.
The letter (transcribed below):
Dear Golnar,
So how is science? Real fun I bet, right? Well here it is so boring. Everyone seem to be so stupid (I don't mean to be mean. I'm serious though) It's just that well they don't really think. I'm almost positive I'll either get all A's or all A's and 1 B. You'd whiz by here. So would Janet. So how is it being a lab partner with Janet? You get to do a lot more things when you do a lab without me (miss fair everyone gets the exact amount of turns) there. Also I'm no longer blameable (is that a word) for breaking stuff. Our science class here is... different... The other day we got to disect a earthworm. How fun! I just love earthworms don't you? Well actully I got to disect a gummiworm (yumm) instead. Some other people chose to too. Well I gotta go take a shower now (We have to be at the bus stop at 6:55 [that's right 6:55 in the morning]) Please, please, please, please, PLEASE write back.
your friend,
Elise
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