postcards galore

Apparently a lot of people collect postcards. Just what do they do with them? I've heard about people putting together themed collections like Post Secret, which sounds really cool, but I've always wondered: what about all the regular people who are just...accumulating them? What do they do with all the cards they receive?

Well. Now I have to find out, because I've gotten oodles of postcards over the past few months. Since Swap-Bot came into my life, I've joined and hosted a few postcard exchanges because I like the idea of sending notes to other people and receiving them...but I'm far too lazy (and my handwriting far too messy) to be an actual pen pal. One thing led to another, and now I have...lots. Especially because I won a "winner takes all" group game and got flooded by all the other members who joined! On one glorious day, I actually received 12 postcards all at once, which was pretty exciting. Our mail carrier must think I'm crazy.

I've gotten postcards from Australia, Switzerland, Holland, Japan, Poland, Norway, the UK, the Philippines, Canada, and of course, all over the United States. What I'm most impressed by, however, are the amazing notes that people write, as well as the trouble they take to send a card they think I'll like. I mean, it's a postcard, right? Averaging maybe a dollar apiece, and the cheapest form of mail you can send? But many of my partners show just as much thought and care in sending this little "hello" as they would a big package, which I really, really appreciate.

I've gotten cards with fairy tale images, made from children's book illustrations, drawn specifically for me, with vintage-y themes, with places I've mentioned I am fond of, with book recommendations, written backwards, with animals I absolutely LOVE such as pigs, hedgehogs, manatees, polar bears, owls, and koala bears...and better yet, some of them came with amazing stories.

One lady in England wrote that she leaves food out in her garden for the wild hedgehogs that regularly visit. Another wrote about her family's annual trip to the apple orchard every autumn. And still another sent a koala postcard with koala stamps and with a koala story, about how she sees them out in the wild in the gum trees. (Apparently they are beautiful, but they smell funny.) I loved reading these stories so much, which were not only about subjects my partners knew I loved, but also gave me a little glimpse into their corner of the world.

I've been so surprised and touched by all these little notes, and it's made me into quite a big fan of the whole postcard thing. I suppose at some point I'll have to figure out what to *do* with them all, but for now I'm just keeping them in a great big envelope. But I do like spreading them out every once in awhile just so I can gloat over them.