by Devin D. Marks
Grateful Host of THINKER THURSDAYS™
Founder | http://www.myTEDtalk.com
The following 4-minute Attic Letters video is part of a story-sharing exercise that highlights how 1,700 attic letters reshaped the trajectory of my life. It is also the root bed of the THINKER THURSDAYS™ reflection practice.
As you may know, each week I carve out a full day for reading, connecting, and reflecting. Whenever I pick up a pen and turn to stationary or a journal, I’m reminded of those family attic letters.
I hope something in this tale resonates with you — that you’ll write a handful of your own letters in the coming year. And that they’ll one day find their way into the hands of your great-great grandchildren.
The short, narrated essay above was part of a Brookline Interactive Group and Story Center project, led by two friends, Kathy Bisbee and Joe Lambert.
Another weave in the above REFLECTION etymology was an essay by my college roommate, Max Kalehoff. In The Resurrection of the Handwritten Letter, he offered a contemporary celebration of analog correspondence, albeit from a digital blogger’s context. It was serendipitous timing: As he tapped his thoughts out, I was in the midst of reading through that attic trove of letters.
THINKER THURSDAYS owes a lot to the seeds planted in my heart during that season. It was a theme that matured in my work on the Attic Letters video essay. I offer a heartfelt thanks to Kathy, Joe, and Max!
Finally, if you have some REFLECTION insights or vignettes of your own to share, I invite you to do so below.
And please, don’t hesitate to hit REPLY or FORWARD on email. The more, the merrier!