Ever find yourself going over a conversation long after the other person has probably forgotten it? Thinking about what you wish you’d said, or wishing you could explain why something upset you?
That’s why we made Letters I’ll Never Send. A notebook for getting things off your chest without having to decide what to do about them.
You can be cross, ramble, repeat yourself. You don’t have to be reasonable on the first page. Nobody else needs to read it, so there’s no need to spend ages making it sound right.
The thank-yous we never quite said
And it doesn’t have to be about something that hurt you. Perhaps someone made a real difference in your life and you never properly told them. A teacher who saw something in you. A friend who kept turning up during a difficult year. Someone whose few kind words you still remember, although they probably have no idea.
You might have thought about thanking them lots of times, but somehow never got round to it. Then, after a while, it feels a bit odd to bring it up. Although imagine finding out, years later, that something you did had meant that much to someone.
Sometimes it’s too late to tell the person themselves. But perhaps their family would like to know. There may be a little story about their mum, dad or partner that they’ve never heard. You could tell them how kind they were to you, or share a memory that still makes you laugh. You don’t have to know the family well to write, “I wanted you to know what your mum did for me.”
The friendships we still miss
Or perhaps there’s a friendship that ended over an argument you can barely explain now. At the time it mattered terribly. Years later, you’re not entirely sure what it was really about, only that you lost someone you still miss. You’ve thought about getting in touch, then talked yourself out of it because you wouldn’t know where to begin.
Writing it down might help you work out what you want to ask. “Do you remember why we fell out? Because I remember an awful lot of good things about being your friend, and I’m wondering whether you do too.”
You don’t have to send it
Of course, you might write all of this and decide it’s staying firmly in the notebook. Sometimes getting it written down is enough. Sometimes just writing can help you make sense of things.
But you might read it back a few days later and think, actually, I do want them to know this. Perhaps not every word, especially that bit in the second paragraph, but the thing you were trying to say.
If that happens, VeryImportantNotes can help with the wording, keeping it sounding like you. There’s no rush to send anything. You can come back to it when you’re ready.
Somewhere to start
For now, though, this is somewhere to start. You don’t need an envelope or anyone’s address.
Download the Letters I’ll Never Send notebook and start with whatever you’ve been meaning to say. What happens next is up to you.
