I have always loved postcards. I love buying them. I love writing them. I love sending them. I love the happy response from the person who receives them. We all get very little paper mail these days so a pretty postcard with a heartfelt message is often an unexpected pleasure.
I also love getting postcards, but rarely do. It is not that my friends don’t travel; many of them travel extensively. They just find it easier to post on Facebook, send group email, or blog.
I am a bit of a postcard hoarder. I have stacks of them. Some are location specific, some are from museum shops, and some are collections of quotes. I love them.
One day, while thinking about manifestation and future gratitude, I had an idea. In 2000 I read a book by Henriette Klauser, Write It Down, Make it Happen: Knowing What You Want – and Getting It! As a long time journaler, I fell in love with the power of bringing something to fruition by committing it to paper. Once the movie The Secret came out, many people became committed to manifesting their desires. Gratitude, noticing what you receive and appreciating it, is part of the process. Another aspect of manifesting power is being grateful for the desire before it comes, as if it is already here. I use my postcards for this. I keep a few in my purse or computer case. Once I set a goal, or put forth a desire, I write myself a postcard either congratulating myself on the achievement or expressing what a delight it is to have my desire. For example, I was submitting an essay to an anthology. I long admired this series and knew competition for selection was fierce. I put my heart and soul and considerable time and effort into my submission. After sending it, I immediately wrote myself a postcard saying how good it feels to be chosen, to have my work recognized, what an honor it is. My submission was accepted and published and it felt marvelous.
I use this for everything from the ridiculous to the sublime. I share the joy of fitting into a pair of pants that I was once five pounds too heavy for. I celebrate having my garden planted in time for my summer solstice party. I am thankful for the new friend I met at a conference I will be attending soon. I appreciate reaching a new income milestone. It might be a perfect check up at my annual physical. This is fun and very powerful.
Here are some suggestions to get your started:
1. Buy postcards wherever you go: while traveling, at museum shops, bookstores, gift shops, maybe just buy blank cards and design your own.
2. Have stamps on hand. As I use forever stamps in the USA, I just put them onto the postcards as I buy them.
3. Address the cards immediately.
4. Keep the postcards accessible. I have some in my purse, some in my computer bag, and some on my desk at home.
5. Be playful with this! Don’t overthink it or use them only for serious requests. All desires are worth celebrating.
6. When the postcard arrives, stop and feel the joy of it. Even if what you desire is still not here, relax into the feeling of having it.
7. Save the postcards. I keep mine in a basket in my living room. Every once in a while I read through them. It is astounding how many of them are now realized. Not all of course. But the funny thing is that when I look at the ones not realized; I have two responses. One is noticing I got something even better than that. The other is to ask myself if I still desire it? If I do, guess what? I write another postcard!