Penmanship was a required course when I was in Elementary School (mid-Century ago). I failed the subject with the grade equaling a teenager’s concentration level. There wasn’t enough eraser on a #2 HD pencil for an undisciplined subject vying for good words. Later, I took typing class, hoping the Brother’s 262 typewriter would be my salvation. 35 words per minute equals a C (even with the aid of electricity). Decades later, floppy disks, CD’s and thumb drives fill a desk drawer with my attempts to complete a coherent story. I never quit buying notebook paper, envelopes and stamps. Instead I wrote letters to comfort my inner “Babbitt” (google Sinclair Lewis titles).
Four decades passed and my chance at successful writing arose. I wrote a letter to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2009. It was received, read and answered. My letter caught the attention of the New York Times Magazine. The letter was highlighted in their online article. A book by Jeanne Marie Laskas, titled, “To Obama, with love, joy, anger, and hope” was published in 2018. My letter was mentioned in chapter 1, reprinted in chapter 2 (along with the observations and opinions of Ms. Laskas). I, along with dozens of other letter writers, had achieved the elusive prize (15 minutes of a reader’s attention). My dream lives on in print (cursive excluded).