One of my favorite feelings is that moment when you go to the mailbox, and while sorting through the solicitations, bypassing all the bills, you suddenly see a special handwritten treasure, peeking its bright corner out from the rest. Snail mail, especially handwritten notes, is a glimmer of fun, of thoughtfulness, and of friendship. During this age of immediacy and digital savviness, it sometimes feels like there’s no room for slowing down. The anticipation of waiting rarely exists with email at our fingertips. And keeping up with a friend sometimes seems to skip the catch-up chat, going straight to Instagram instead. Not to mention, we’re living through a pandemic, isolated to ourselves. People rarely write letters anymore, communication is abbreviated, literally and figuratively. But, not with the Traveling Gnomes PenPal program! 

I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Marissa through letters over the past few months, the moment shelter in place set in. Having just moved back to the states and to Colorado with no community yet, Marissa became one of my first pals in the area. We never met in person, but we shared things through our writing. We learned about each of our favorite activities, things that brought us joy during such a turbulent time: our love for Nintendo games, our family members (both human and furry), and even our opinions on current events. Because of Marissa, I’ve started to appreciate cats more (hers, named Butters, is pretty cute and conniving according to her stories). My newfound love for drawing is thanks to Marissa. She sends doodles of the two of us, all of which are proudly displayed on my fridge. Our friendship has taught me to listen more intently, even if it’s by reading someone’s story. 

Our letters continued to pile up and were always an eagerly awaited treat in the mail. Each one signed off with some expression of excitement to meet in person one day. Little did we know that day would come sooner rather than later! The Traveling Gnomes took to the road, exploring their own CO backyard, safely distanced and masked. I immediately jumped on the opportunity to join the Trailblazer crew and was absolutely thrilled to learn that Marissa and I signed up for the same Buena Vista trip. 

It’s funny when you start to get to know someone so well, their interests and current happenings, without ever knowing what they look like. We were both oblivious when we arrived the morning of the Gnomes trip, not knowing what to expect until Jenna officially introduced us. And that was that, instant friends! We giggled like we’d known each other for years, started making future movie night plans, joked about our past correspondence, and stayed attached at the (distanced) hip as we hiked around beautiful Buena. 

Never would I have had the opportunity to meet this phenomenal human. The special bond Marissa and I are starting to build would never exist had it not been for these treasured Gnome notes we passed back and forth. Thank you postal service, thanks Traveling Gnomes. Snail mail continues to be a favorite lost art. The Gnomes PenPal program revitalizes it, and this new friendship, which has blossomed as a result, has truly been a treasured bright spot during a dark 2020. We all need more bright spots. Who’s day will you brighten today?