00:00I'm here in Bowen, New Hampshire, on my way to my mailbox with a handwritten letter.
00:04That might seem strange nowadays, but it's been something I've been doing
00:08ever since I got matched up with a pen pal in New Zealand when we were 13 years old.
00:12In the early years, we wrote about school and friends and family, lots of silly teenage girl stuff.
00:18But looking back, I can see how valuable it was to connect with someone who was sympathetic and interested in
00:23my life.
00:24Plus, getting mail was fun.
00:26We discovered lots of similar interests over the years.
00:29I went into journalism, and she went into public relations.
00:32And even though our letters decreased once we started using email and social media,
00:37we've still been there for each other as adults, watching our own children grow up.
00:41We met for the first time in New York about 25 years ago.
00:44She and her family later spent a few days in New Hampshire, and I finally made it to New Zealand
00:49last month.
00:49We both were crying at the airport when I left.
00:52And though it may sound odd given how little time we've actually spent together, I've been missing her ever since.
00:57The organization that matched us up as pen pals is gone, but others have survived.
01:01Some people even say letter writing is making a comeback.
01:04I, for one, am not going to stop.
01:06Thanks for being here.
01:07Thanks for having me.
01:07Thanks.
01:08Thanks for having me.
01:10You know what,
01:15Thanks.
01:16What do you think?
01:16You
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