Love Letters

I have decided to kick off a new series here on Short Story Long. I will be featuring love letters written to significant others, family, friends, heroes, role models, mentors, etc. Some may be emotional, some may be witty, but hopefully all will be fun to read.

To start, I am sharing a love letter I have written to my travel hero, Rick Steves. Rick started as a tour guide years ago and has since expanded his offering to various travel services ranging from classes to guide books to television shows. You can find out all about him here.

Here it goes...

Dear Rick,

I hope you are enjoying your travels, I have loved reading about them and watching your videos on Facebook. I am writing you because you are an inspiration to me. I became a fan in early 2010 after I received your DVD box-set for pledging to be a member of my local public radio station (KQED, San Francisco), and since then, I have not looked back. I love the shows and heavily relied on your Ireland guidebook when I went this past March.

To give you a bit of my background, I am a 24 year old who graduated from college just over a year ago. I graduated with excitement and anticipation for the world and adventures ahead, and anxious to find a way to merge my personal passions and career. I have found creative outlets, and continue to hope that I will be able to fully pursue my passions. I've begun to notice that each daydream and thought always seem to land on traveling. I find myself craving delicious pasta from a small restaurant in one of Rome's side streets, or wanting to dive into the warm Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece. Whenever I have these thoughts I run home, research airline prices, and watch one of your videos!

I appreciate the effort and energy you put into your productions; they are insightful and beautiful. The clips you have been posting on Facebook have been exciting as well. It's fun to feel as though we are with you along the way.

I don't want to complete this letter without saying a few things:

• I hope you make a lecture stop in the Bay Area on your way to Florida (I know it's not on your way from Washington, but a girl can dream!)
• If you ever need a production assistant, research assistant, or travel buddy through Back Door Productions, I am your person
• It would be a dream come true to hear back from you with any feedback or advice you can provide

Thank you for letting me say those things, however, I do realize that you are extremely busy and understand that you may not be able to respond. I appreciate your time and hope you enjoy safe travels.

Keep on traveling, goodbye!

Sincerely,

Stacy Ernst

Do you have any love letters you would like to share? Have you gotten a surprising result from love letters you've sent? If you would like to share your letters, let me know!