I love collecting things. Whether it be enamel pins, plushies, pens, or books, I find it really hard to own just one of something.
The same goes for postcards. Traveling to somewhere new always makes me excited to see what pretty photos might be waiting for me at the next gift shop.
I used to buy and stash them as a stack in my memorabilia box for until the next time I reminisced over my past trips. But lately, as I’ve spent more time away from family and friends, I’ve finally made it a habit to use postcards as they’re intended!
I love sending mini letters filled with exclamation points and hearts to show my loved ones that I’m thinking of them from somewhere across the world. I’m aware that not everyone has the same sentimental perspective as me, but I cherish written notes, and it makes me happy to think that I’m sharing physical mementos of my thoughts and affection.
It’s also quite a miracle to think about the human ingenuity of the postal system. To send a postcard from the US to the Netherlands is $1.65, and from Hong Kong to the US is $0.69. Like many things, the basic service is cheaper outside the States, but mail has been deemed essential for so long that it remains one of the only US services not commercialized — a small yet meaningful feat in itself.
$0.69 for a postcard to travel 8,057 miles. You can’t even buy anything at the convenience store for that price. I think of how many trucks my letter had to ride on, how many hands had to help pass it down the line, how it crossed the entirety of an ocean, making its slow journey to arrive in my family’s mailbox 2 weeks later.
Right now, I’ve been having fun collecting the free postcards from different locations of Levain, my favorite cookie bakery. They have one displaying a stylized map of my new neighborhood in Chicago — it’s drawn in an entirely blue color scheme and feels so fitting for me. Perhaps you’ll get one of these from me soon.
My favorite postcard I’ve received, though, started its journey in Rome, Italy! There’s a special joy in coming home to an unexpected letter and being the recipient of this experience too, of course. Even in my post-grad life, my penpal buddy and I have kept up our small tradition — I eagerly await his next letter from Greece.
In the meantime, I give postcards five stars.
