Receiving a postcard was the best thing that happened to me today

Greetings from lockdown!

When was the last time you received a postcard? My late father was a huge advocate of the postcard. A simple A6 size printed piece of cardboard, that transported the receiver to a scene beyond their shores, flip it over and a handwritten message illustrated the effort of writing, addressing, and mailing a simple thought of love. Over the many years, I've kept every postcard. They are bound with ribbon, kept safe in my keepsake box. Im not surprised that the postcards I receive are from the same group of people. They are part of that era. Where sharing the travel experience and dropping a note to say ‘I'm thinking of you…wish you were here is an everyday occurrence, its what they do.

Where did this simple gesture go? Have we forgotten the art of writing? Would our millennials understand the thought process that wasn't just about instant gratification?

So you can feel my joy, that in our two-dimensional digital world, where images are pixels and type is viewed via a screen, that I received a card that someone else has touched, that pen was put to paper and a stamp was positioned in the top right-hand corner. That someone walked to the post-box just for me.

In an earlier manifesto, I promised that I too would bring back the snail mail. And while my passport is collecting dust, it’s the cards of friendship and birthdays and affirmations that I've promised myself to send. I’ll buy the book of stamps, I’ll make sure I know the address, because if I could feel that little spark of happiness at the simple gesture of opening the mailbox, then I’ll pay it forward. I’ll add it to my list, I’ll hope to bring a smile to someone else’s face. My aunt sent me this postcard and I look at it every day to allow my mind to drift.

Her one paragraph tells a whole story, she signed it ‘with love from all of us.’

#postcard #handwrittengesturesoflove #effort #travel #lostartofwriting