Do you feel more isolated each day, even with email and TikTok and the rest? Does it seem like everyone you meet is more interested in their phone than in you? Do you often wish you had one contact that really cares about what you have to say?
Wouldn’t it be nice if you were certain that new friend could never, ever pass on anything you reveal?
PenPalz Anonymous has put a modern twist on an old idea. Members choose a “pal,” someone who thinks like you, shares your values, and understands your insights. You exchange “letters” through PenPalz, trading views and secrets, but the best part is that two of you will never meet.
Think of the advantages to that.
· You can say absolutely anything about the people in your life. You can gripe about your husband. You can list the awful things your kids do. You can trash your sister or admit that your brother is a leech. It’s all okay, because your Penpal is completely anonymous. Your pal has no way to identify you or the people you mention. You’ll pick a false name for yourself, and use non-identifiable names in your letters. (We’ll remind you to do that.)
· Share your thoughts honestly and completely, and your PenPal will do the same. Paying attention to each other and reacting with empathy is the whole point of PenPalz, so say what you feel, knowing your secret is safe from the real people in your life who might be hurt, angry, or surprised to hear it.
PenPalz requires no obligation, no contract, no up-front cost. Give us some basic information, and we’ll provide five profiles that match your interests. If none of them appeals or if you simply decide not to participate further, we will completely delete your information.
But just think—You might find someone who’s wishing right now that they had a friend they could truly connect with on an intellectual and emotional level.
September 4, 2025
Dear Aimee,
My name (at least the name I’ve chosen for PPA) is Cher. (I’ve always wanted to be skinny and bold, though I must admit that I’m neither.)
I chose you from the profiles offered to me because I liked your sentence structure, your whimsical approach to the project, and the little story you told about your husband leaving his shoes all over the house. (Mine won’t wear glasses, but he can’t read the label on a box of noodles. He has “cheaters” he can never find, so I end up reading the information to him!)
I’ll tell you a bit about myself, so you can decide if you’ll accept my request for us to be Palz. I’m no longer a spring chicken by any stretch. I spent my working years as a librarian, so you can guess I love books and stories. My husband is a wonderful man I married fifty-one years ago. (I was a mere child, but I got lucky.) We have two grown children and four grandchildren, though we don’t see them much.
My son lives across the country, and our daughter moved to Japan a few years back. Of course we visit, but they don’t come home as often as I would like. Busy, busy, busy.
Please tell me a little about yourself!
Note from PenPalz. Did you remove specific identifiers, names and places? We found one word you might want to change: JAPAN. Possible substitutes: Asia, a foreign country
October 5, 2025
Dear Cher,
I am so pleased that you chose me! I found some of the profiles sent by PPA compatible, but yours had something extra. I felt like we could sit down and talk for hours!
I also have a child who lives abroad. He hasn’t visited home in over ten years! I imagine that he must sometimes miss old friends, old hang outs, or the family home, but he makes no effort to reconnect.
People ask me all the time, “How’s Dylan doing?” I tell them he’s fine, he’s busy with his job, he’s working on his house. Most have given up asking when he’s coming home. He doesn’t even attend class reunions.
I’m sure my son likes us--He invites us to visit them all the time, and he’s always great when we do. But why doesn’t he come home? Why doesn’t he even seem to miss home?
October 11, 2025
Dear Aimee,
I think computers changed the human-to-human connection. We type away at our keyboards, telling ourselves we’re communicating with friends and family, but words on a screen and even voice messages don’t affect us the way in-person meetings do. A real voice, an actual face, and the touch of hands are things we feel, and that goes well beyond what a machine can replicate.
Still, we continue to separate. We have our groceries delivered. We pick up prescriptions at a drive-through window. We see a doctor online and sell our cars with an app. We have less and less personal contact. Many find it more convenient. Fewer personality glitches. No long stories, uncomfortable hugging, B.O., or comments on how much you’ve grown or changed or grayed. The cyber world is sanitary and in essence, emotionless. I’m not sure I like it, but there it is.
Note from PenPalz. Did you remove specific identifiers, names and places? We found zero words you might want to change.
October 15, 2026
Dear Cher,
You’re probably right, although the computer is of course a wonderful invention.
I have a friend who reminds me a little of you--as least what I sense about you. She writes letters all the time, real handwritten, paper-and-envelope-and-stamp letters. I admire her for it, but I find the computer much quicker and more efficient.
I suppose the question is how much physical effort a person wants to put into communication. Just look at us, comparing lives and thoughts without ever meeting. I think we’re doing really well, don’t you?
November 2, 2025
Dear Aimee,
Boy, do I have a gripe this week. I went to get some paint for my deck, and the woman behind the counter was just rude. She kept insisting I was giving her the wrong number. When I showed her the picture on my phone that I’d taken of the old can lid, she got even huffier. “We don’t carry that brand,” she said, like I was a simpleton for not knowing that. I pointed. “On your sample wall it says that you do.”
She sniffed. “Well, we’re discontinuing it in two weeks.”
People can be so rude!
Note from PenPalz. Did you remove specific identifiers, names and places? We found 0 words you might want to change.
November 13, 2025
Dear Cher,
I can’t believe the woman at the paint store treated you that way! Where is their customer service??
I have a story too. When I was headed to the market the other day, two girls in a convertible swooped into the spot I’d intended to park in ahead of me. One of them called out, “We’re younger and faster, Lady!” I actually thought about ramming their car, just to teach them a lesson. I might be older but I bet I have better insurance!
Hubby would have had a fit if I’d smashed my car into theirs, so I did manage to restrain myself, but boy, I’d have liked to wiped those snotty smiles off their faces!
November 12, 2025
Dear Aimee,
I know exactly how you felt. Girls of our age were taught from Day One to be NICE, but like you, I thought about how nice it would be to give someone a lesson in manners.
I’m so glad we found each other. I often don’t feel like I can share some moments with my friends. I don’t want them to think I’m losing it, for one thing, but I also hide little disappointments from them so I won’t seem ungrateful. I’m lucky enough to have a nice home, a great husband, enough money to not have to worry about the future, and my health, pretty much. It seems petty to grump about my life to friends who haven’t got all that, especially the husband part.
My friend Diane lost her husband two years ago. You’ve probably noticed that dead husbands become saints pretty quickly, so if I mention my irritation over Bill leaving dirty hand-prints on the kitchen door, she’ll say something like, “Jeff was always careful to wash his hands when he finished a dirty job.” Now I knew the man, so I know better, but who’s going to argue with a widow?
Another friend, Elaine, is divorced. Once I griped when Bill used one of my pretty wastebaskets to catch the oil he drained out of the lawnmower, and she said, “Typical. You can’t trust a man with anything worthwhile.” That made me feel guilty about letting her make Bill into her horrible example and a little mad at myself for giving her the chance to bash men in general.
Even other wives sometimes react oddly to my little stories. Bill bought this picture he likes at a craft show and hung it in the living room. The subject is wolves, which doesn’t fit my décor at all, and it isn’t exactly great art…In fact, it glows in the dark! When I told my friend Maddie about it, she got all huffy. “You need to tell him he can’t have that picture there.”
I’m not about to start a family feud over a picture, which she took as weakness on my part. “I wouldn’t put up with it,” she said. “Greg knows better than to interfere with my choices.”
So I have friends who consider me lucky to have a man and friends who think I’m a wimp for putting up with one. I’m glad I have you, because you never tell me I should have done differently.
Note from PenPalz. Did you remove specific identifiers, names and places? We found (6) words you might want to change: Bill, Diane, Elaine, Jeff, Greg, Maddie. Possible Substitutes: Barney, Donna, Ellen, Jerry, Gavin, Miranda
November 14, 2025
Dear Cher,
People can be so irritating, can’t they? Even friends. I’ve met all the types you mentioned, and I too find that a chat can suddenly turn into a minefield. I have a friend who actually left three different fiancés at the altar! She just can’t commit to being any man’s wife, so she has nothing good to say about marriage.
I think some friends like to judge us so they feel better about their own lives. It’s great that you’re so considerate, and I’m sure you’re a great friend to have in person. I feel lucky to have you as a Pal, Cher!
December 3, 2025
Dear Aimee,
Yesterday Bill made me so mad that I wanted to swat him. He’s a good man, and he’s wonderful to me, 99.99% of the time. Then all at once he’ll say something that makes me furious.
We were driving along, on our way to the lumber store to get some stuff he wanted for the shed. I said something like, “I might go visit my sister next week. She’s not feeling well, and I think it would cheer her up.”
Do you know what he said? “That’s two hundred miles. I don’t think you should be driving that far by yourself.”
Now, for fifty years, I’ve driven anywhere I wanted to. Bill was working or hanging out with his friends or puttering in the yard, and I went wherever I liked. Now all of a sudden he doesn’t think I’m capable anymore?
In case you’re wondering, my driving skills have not deteriorated. My eyesight is better than his; in fact, I’ve taken to mentioning if there’s a car coming because I’m not sure he sees at any distance. I’ve never had an accident. No tickets since I was thirty-three. There was no reason for him to say that.
I didn’t argue, but I am going. He’d better not make any further comments, or he’ll hear about it from me.
Note from PenPalz. Did you remove specific identifiers, names and places? We found one word you might want to change: Bill. Possible substitute: Brandon
December 4, 2025
Dear Cher,
I know! It seems like Hubby doesn’t see himself getting older, only me. He warns me all the time to watch where I’m going, just because I fell last summer and skinned my knees. Anyone could have done the same, but he chooses to assume my age was the main factor.
This should make you feel better: I actually know a woman who’s had seven husbands—I know! At least you only have one man to get along with. Can you imagine adjusting every few years to a different one? 😊
I guess every man has great qualities, but even the greatest have faults. Rich and I do well together most of the time, so I remind myself that he’s willing to live with me, my six cats, and my roomful of unfinished craft projects! Better one sometimes grumpy man than seven different ones to get used to!
December 15, 2025
Dear Aimee,
Christmas doesn’t seem very Christmas-y this year. Both our kids are busy, one with a cruise and the other with in-laws, so Bill and I are on our own. We’ll probably go for Chinese and then watch football.
I really don’t mind, but it was nice when we could all get together sometimes. I don’t think our son and daughter have seen each other in person for four, maybe five years.
Note from PenPalz. Did you remove specific identifiers, names and places? We found one word you might want to change: Bill. Possible substitutes: Barack
December 21, 2025
Dear Cher,
I’m feeling a lot the same. We’re not seeing family this year either, for various reasons. Still, I’m better off than a friend I once had who went on vacation at Christmas and forgot one of her kids! It was quite an adventure, as you can imagine!
I guess we’ll both have to recall those old Christmas memories and relive them in our minds. Your mind will take you back to the good times, and that will make you feel good while you watch Detroit or Dallas or whoever you cheer for.
January 2, 2026
New Message from PenPalz Anonymous
Are you enjoying your journey with us? If so, please let others know with a rating HERE. It only takes a minute, but it helps us get the word out about our efforts to provide safe and fun exchanges among our guests.
Review from Cher, Penpalz member since September 2025:
I enjoy Penpalz Anonymous as a way to get out some of my frustrations in life without burdening friends and family. I never wanted to be a GOP (griping old person), but I feel like my pen pal Aimee and I each benefit from venting to the other about daily irritations. I can tell she’s a down-to-earth person, and it’s great that we have so much in common.
January 12, 2026
Reply to Cher’s review from Katniss T
Cher, you do realize that the pen pals we get from PPA are bots, right? They make up cutesy names for them, but they even tell you how they make the names up. I looked up “Aimee” and found the derivation of “her” name: Artificial Intelligence Mail Exchange Entity.
The bots are programmed to pick out bits from what we say, turn it around, and say it back to us, so we feel validated. Their “personal” stories come from movies and books, and they tailor them to fit whatever your situation is.
I admit that I enjoy my exchanges with Gray (Generative Reply Appreciating You), but I think it’s wrong that the part about the palz being AI generated is in small print that most clients don’t read.
I thought you’d want to know.
January 12, 2026
Aimee,
I’m so
MESSAGE NOT SENT
January 14, 2026
Dear Aimee,
You won’t believe what my daughter said to me yesterday when she called from Tokyo…