I Must Be Getting Old

This is a revelation that came to me this past holiday season when I was searching for a stationery set for my sister-in-law. Bottom line is, I couldn't find one. Now, this could be due to the fact that I was shopping last minute or I just wasn't going to the right stores. Either way, I was amazed at how much trouble I had, because I thought that a stationery set would be a relatively simple thing to find. I just wanted a basic one with cute, attractively designed sheets of paper with matching envelopes. However, the only sets I could find were incredibly plain and boring. I did see many sets of blank cards with envelopes, which I eventually ended up getting. The whole time I was thinking "I must be getting old."

Is the art of letter writing becoming a thing of the past? I don't consider myself particularly old - I can still say I'm in my twenties at least, although barely. This experience definitely made me realize that I'm not getting any younger. I don't particularly mind this fact, but it does make me want to cherish every moment that I do have. As a kid, I remember stationery sets being everywhere. I collected them. I had tons of cute letter sheets of paper that I couldn't wait to use. During the summer months, I would often go away to summer camp and when I came home I would write to EVERYONE, no matter how well I had gotten to know them. Then I discovered e-mail and thought it was one of the best things ever (I still do).

I must say, however, that receiving a real letter in the mail is a thrill. I love the ripping of the envelope, pulling out the paper and sniffing it. This year I would like to start writing more letters. After all the trouble I had finding the type the stationery that I wanted, I went online to see if I would have better luck. It turns out, there are quite a few places to find it especially on Etsy. Ironic, isn't it? Looks like I'll be using my computer so that I can grab a pen and write a letter.

How about you? Do you have a hard time finding things that you had when you were a child?