I’m a big believer in mail.
Not email, not texts, not Snapchats – mail.
There’s something special about writing a letter, putting it in an envelope, sealing it, putting it in the mailbox, flipping up the flag, and watching the mail person pick it up and take it away. Legally, you’re probably opening yourself up to liability by creating a paper trail, but as long as you’re not talking about robbing Fort Knox, it’s probably fine to send a letter with the USPS every once in a while.
Not to mention, how awesome is it when you’re the surprise recipient of a letter? You feel like the President of the United States or something. Heck, I get a little excited when I see one of those ads that looks like it’s handwritten. It’s just nice to imagine people are thinking about you.
Something I think about from time to time is how, in modern days, we’ve lost the magic of paper correspondence. Think about all the history we know about because we were able to dig up old letters from people. From soldiers on the front in WWI to Seneca, some of the best insights we’ve gotten into times gone by are from letters folks sent to each other. There’s about a 0% chance that any of our emails are ever going to make it into a history book someday. It’s like we’re living in an informational black hole created by technology. What a bummer.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! We can break free! And all it costs is some time, ink, and a forever stamp. Here are three ideas to keep your legacy alive by filling someone’s shoebox with words you wrote on some hand-made postcards.
The EZPZ
If you want to make an easy-to-mail, ultra-personalized postcard, this is your best bet. Take a selfie with your phone. Now go to a local pharmacy and print your picture. A 5x7 picture size is best. Next, glue that picture onto some card stock. Write your note on the back with the destination address, affix a stamp, and toss it in the mail. EZPZ.
The Starving Artist
For this postcard idea, you’ll be using your own creativity to draw a pretty design. Just like with the EZPZ, you’ll want to cut out a piece of card stock, probably in some shade of white. On the front, you’ll draw someone a super fun picture. Use watercolors, acrylic, crayons, markers, or pens to create your personal Mona Lisa. We don’t recommend using pencil, because the graphite will rub off while it’s en route. On the back, follow the same directions as the EZPZ and mail.
The Constructionist
For this postcard idea, we’re going back to our elementary school days. Just like we used to make super cute Valentines out of construction paper and glue, you’re going to do the same thing for the Constructionist. Start with cardstock cut into a 5x7 size, start gluing pretty-colored shapes on the front, and write your message on the back. You can make symmetrical designs like snowflakes, mandalas, or sacred geometry. Create crudely developed landscapes. Just glue stuff on there haphazardly. It’s totally up to you!
No matter which postcard type you choose to make, follow these rules for the layout on the back:
-
Put a vertical line down the middle. This will help keep your note separate from the address.
-
Put your stamp on the top right corner.
- Write the destination address clearly.
That’s about it! Sending a postcard is a great way to let people know you’re thinking about them. There’s something special about getting a piece of mail that the sender really put effort into. Not to mention, in the case of some sort of unforeseen apocalyptic event, your postcard might survive and be in the next generation’s history books. Sounds awesome to me.
