Why write a letter?

I have been writing letters to myself my whole life. I am pretty sure I wrote one to myself at age 8 to be opened when I turned 16, and somehow the letter did not get lost in that time span. I write letters sporadically and then seal them in an envelope that says "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL..." and the date is typically a significant point in my life, like graduating from highschool, college, etc. Usually the to-be-opened date is a handful of years away- I have yet to write a letter to myself at age 50, and don't plan to- that would be really abstract.

Opening the letters is always a fascinating experience. I often ask myself questions- "did you stay friends with so and so?" "did you travel to China?", and the type of questions I ask ("did you date such and such person?") tell me a lot about what was important to me at that time. I sometimes make predictions, or list my wishes for the future. Then I write a little bit about what is happening in my life at the time. How I am feeling, what I am excited or annoyed about. Those few sentences bring me back to the state of mind and the maturity level I was when I wrote the letter, which oftentimes is the most valuable element of the letter. How have I changed since then? In what ways am I the same?

So why am I asking other people to write a letter? I think it would be great to encourage other people to have this kind of experience as well. What could we all realize about ourselves if we all read a letter written by a three-years-younger self? A letter (especially handwritten) is a good format for this- an email will always be saved somewhere and can be read at anytime.

I'd like people to send me their letters so that I can safeguard them and then send them back. I'm not going to read them- I don't want to invade anyone's privacy in any way. What is interesting to me is a huge pile of sealed letters; they are mysterious and private and represent a bit of self-reflection or at least some imaginative thinking sent to me by unknown people.

The Three Year Letter

WRITE A LETTER TO YOURSELF
to be opened in three years.

What do you think might happen in three years?
Where do you think you will be?? Do you have any guesses?
What do you want to remember about right now? What do you want to remind yourself of, three years from now?

Send your letter to
Three Year Letter Project
419 N Stafford Ave
Richmond, VA 23220

In three years, it will be sent back to you, free of charge, and your letter will not be read.

Requirements:
Your letter must fit inside a legal-size envelope (this is not a time capsule).
You MUST include a return address written on the outside of your envelope so it can be sent back to you.

More Information Coming Soon!