I once read a book in childhood titled, "There's No Such
Place as Faraway" by Richard Bach...and after corresponding
with people all over America and the world, I honestly
feel I could apply that title to my adventures via
penpalling.
My love affair with correspondence started when I was
10 and exchanged letters with a young boy from India;
I felt I was leaving my narrow world in the American
South and experiencing a foreign culture through his
words. That proved to be an interesting friendship,
but gradually diminished when we both became teens.
Then there was my wonderful, older next-door
neighbor who enlisted in the military, and sent me
letters from all his various travels, sharing
other parts of this country as well as abroad.
We kept in touch during my teen years, my letters
to him full of all the latest neighborhood
happenings.
I admit a failure to correspond with distant people
during my early 20s when I was busy with a career.
However, eventually I missed the hobby very much,
and resumed membership in several penpal clubs.
Many years have passed since then, and I've enjoyed
countless letters from nearby and distant people; I've
been richly rewarded by each and every letter, whether
the person was from an exotic foreign culture or a fellow
American. The individuals I've known are stimulating and
diverse, like human beings in all walks of life: young
adults; housewives; professionals in many fields; older
citizens; sick and shut-ins, the handicapped; rich
and poor; male and female.
And with the advent of email, those who are online
have even speedier means of sharing. It puts the world
at your doorstep, and helps broaden horizons as well
as create understanding about cultural differences.
I've concluded that my adventures via the inky trail
(and now the electronic medium) have one thing
in common: I've learned something significant from
every single exchange!
Therefore, time and distance are not barriers when
people choose to communicate openly and honestly
with one another via the written word; rather,
as in Richard Bach's title, "There's No Such Place
As Faraway"!
