Day 5: Postcard Project

Random Observation/Comment #292: I love receiving things in the mail. Tearing open cardboard boxes is much more rewarding than opening an email with a click.  Sometimes I’ll just buy random things on Amazon so I can open them.

Wherever I’ve traveled, I’ve sent a postcard to my parents. It has always made them smile.  Here are the pictures of those postcards:

It was a project that I kept in the back of my head ever since I started traveling after Cooper.  I figured, I’d get enough postcards to fill my wall if I bought one from each place I traveled to.  I was very ambitious.

The Challenge:
Send postcards to friends around the world that I’ve lost touch with.  On the postcards, write meaningful and relevant content to our memories shared together.

The Reason:
The postcard project came to light when I was reviewing my web of peeps and felt like I hadn’t connected with my travel friends for quite some time. I have met so many people around the world, yet our connection has been reduced to little Facebook News Feed blips.  When I was in Hamburg studying, I sent around 20 postcards to my friends and family back home. I really enjoyed doing the task even though it took forever.  This is just an evolved version of what I did back then.

The Result:
Luckily, I had the foresight to start this postcard project early.  Here are the steps:

  1. Write FB messages/texts to friends and family for 2-3 days asking them to participate in the project
  2. Save all mailing addresses into a google doc
  3. Write messages for each person in the google doc
  4. Buy $60 worth of local and international stamps
  5. Create my own “Perfect Simplicity” postcard from www.zazzle.com .  Bought 60 prints.
  6. Spend 2-3 days writing 53 postcards
  7. Nurse the blister from writing

Apologies in advance for my terrible handwriting. I actually didn’t rush any of it and I tried very hard to write legibly. Unfortunately, I have the handwriting of a doctor.

The Conclusion:
This is much more than a one-day challenge. It took some planning, but not as much work as you would expect.  Connecting with those friends just to get their mailing addresses was rewarding.  I have no idea what type of response I will get from this, but I hope I at least made a few people smile.

As an alternative reason to sending these postcards, my parent’s place did not fare well in Hurricane Sandy. For those of you who received a postcard and would like to return the favor, please send one to my parents at:

Clemens’ Parents
1054 Jefferson Street
Baldwin, NY 11510

I hope their spirits will be uplifted when they see some postcards from around the world.

~See Lemons Send Love