Slow Down and Write a Thank You Note

Now I'm as much a victim of the techno-now, instant-everything world as anyone (having a blog speaks to that, eh?). But it's nice to see that good old-fashioned letter writing is getting its due as a source of true gratification.

The Financial Times reported this weekend on the "Slow Down Festival" being hosted in London—its purpose to reconnect people in the fast lane with the pleasures of the slow one. The event stems from the world's financial slowdown, however, the topics are relevant no matter what speed your planet is moving.

Among the activities and workshops:

- A long, slow group walk across the London Bridge as rush hour

- Poetry readings

- Meditation lessons

And of course my favorite,

- How to write for snail mail

There are few things as mutually fulfilling as sending and/or receiving a kind note, especially one on paper that seems a shame to toss out, so that months later when you find it again at the bottom of a drawer or tucked in a page as a forgotten bookmark, it still evokes a memory, a smile, and a warm feeling about one particular person.

That's the good thing about good manners. They slow you down enough to smile no matter what lane of life you're running in.