Postcards, Letters & Love Notes
Postcards, Letters & Love Notes
Can you remember the last time you physically wrote a letter to someone?
I haven’t done such a thing in a long time, and this somewhat saddens me. Nowadays communication seems to be in the palm of our hand and at our fingertips. Email, text, phone calls… if we’re not face to face with the person, we’re probably getting a hold of them in one of those three ways. In terms of convenience, yes, those things are wonderful but what happened to good ol’ pen on paper, stamps, envelopes, and waiting to receive that piece of postage in the mail? Or getting a note passed to you from your long time crush? Moments like those are gold.
Let’s break it down:
Postcards are short and sweet. They get the point across in a couple lines, and you can make everyone jealous of where you are at that point in time.
Letters are more formal, and most of the time to friends or relatives, but perhaps more meaningful since you took the time to physically write rather than type on a keyboard or phone.
Love notes are sacred. All those romantic feelings no longer exist solely inside of you, but now also live on a piece of paper that you give to a significant other, or prospective significant other.
I will forever keep all of my love notes. There is something so raw and pure that goes into pouring the heart out, filling the empty-lined space with feelings that don’t show face all too often. Holding on to the ones received can later act as a time machine, transporting us back to a love we once had, or still might be holding on to. If the feelings still burn, or may have slowly drifted away, a good memory or two can always be gained from re-visiting old love letters.
I’ve always viewed physically writing something out as somewhat therapeutic. Sometimes it’s easier for me to fully translate a thought in my head via paper rather than spoken word. The things I want to say have a way of getting lost more often than not on their journey out of my mouth. This is frustrating when things then get taken out of context, or don’t hold the power I truly want them to have. This is my own burden to carry, but maybe some of you can relate.
There’s a deep side to love notes and letters, but more simply, letter writing is fun.
I had a pen pal from Japan back in middle school. It was assigned as a class project, and every week, I would send and receive a letter that was postmarked Japan. We’d share daily happenings with each other, and sometimes we’d include little trinkets along with the letters. Writing to someone I had never met before who lives such a culturally different life across the globe was fascinating. Thinking back to that time inspired me to try a little experiment, and maybe some of you will follow suit:
I’m picking a place, finding an address, and sending a postcard.
The place is one that I’ve been eager to visit for quite some time now; Australia.
The address though… totally random, although Google maps helped me out a little…
Today, I’m sticking that postcard in the mail, and waiting to see what happens. I have no idea who is going to receive my message, or if i’ll get anything back. It’s all up to that person on the other end.
My hopes are to spark conversation, maybe gain a new friendship, and gain some local knowledge of the country I’ve longed to travel to. If I don’t hear anything back, I’ll never know who’s mailbox my postcard ended up in, and I’ll just have to assume they liked the pretty picture of Philadelphia on the front. That’s part of the fun though. It’s a mystery.
If you want to join me on this experiment, pick a place you’re going to send a postcard to, and let us know about it in the comments!
Maybe it’s a country you’ve always wanted to visit, like me. Or maybe it’s to a city that holds a special place in your heart, and the line you drop in the mail is simply letting someone know how much you love it. If a connection is made, then there’s reason to hold onto that place a little tighter.
Pick an address, find a stamp, and send that “Hello” out into the world. Now all that’s left to do is cross your fingers and wait for something back.
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