Time Capsule | Ft. Postcards and Instructions on Living
Time Capsule | Ft. Postcards and Instructions on Living
An essay on what makes postcards magical
Hi,
I’m back with another small video essay. This one is special.
So, the Post Office is a short walk from my home. I don't visit there often. Afterall, we live in a perennially online world, why go to the post office, when everything can come to you.
But once every few months, I make the trip. I go with a bunch of envelopes in my hand and some cash. The postal services operator asks me what is in these envelopes, as part of their standard procedure.
Postcards, I answer.
He looks at me with a bit of confusion, but proceeds to enter the addresses into the system, and I receive these small receipts. I go back home, feeling satisfied.
Postcards are special for me. If you know me, you may think I am obsessed.
Maybe, I am. In this small video, I try sharing why.
During a trip, as we’re doing some shopping in a small store, my friend remarks that I’m obsessed with postcards.
Well, he’s not wrong. Maybe, I am obsessed.
Since 2019, after coming across a Reddit post about an old postcard, I have been trying to collect and send postcards whenever I get the opportunity to. I’m always on the lookout for one.
When I am traveling, the only shopping I do is to hunt for good postcards. It doesn’t matter what type they are. Anything that will remind me of the trip. If I end up clicking a good photo, which is rare, I print it out as a postcard, and send some of them to my friends. The first thing I ask at a bookstore is if they have a postcard collection. Even during the time I spend on social media, whenever I come across a good artist, I check if they are selling their art in the form of cards.
So yeah, maybe I am obsessed.
These postcards are a collection of moments. They have become a delightful part of my life and also changed me in subtle ways.
I am someone who finds it difficult to exhibit emotions in person. I am not particularly great at expressing the language of care. To tell my friends and family that I love them, in those precise words, for example, is still a work in progress.
One of the easier ways for me to express myself is by writing and sending postcards. It is a medium to articulate the care I have for people, and a method of sharing some stories.
To take a postcard and write about a moment, a memory, a favorite quote, my experiences or even some random thoughts—gives me a lot of joy and satisfaction.
There is something magical about this archaic form of communication in our digitally fragmented world. The sender and receiver invariably end up with a smile while looking at a piece of paper. It acts as a small token of happiness and connection between two people.
Perhaps what makes me even more happy these days is that my friends and family now know I have this obsession. Whenever they travel, or if they want to give me something, they end up sending postcards.
My heart is always filled with gratitude when someone sends me a postcard—it makes my day better, it reminds me that I am not alone and more importantly, it adds on to my collection.
Maybe I am obsessed.
Postcards are slices of memories. They are echoes of the life you live. They inevitably bring you delight.
These rectangular shaped objects maintain bonds between two people. They make you feel the presence of your friend, in the moments you feel alone. They show you a world you haven’t experienced yet.
And the process of sending a postcard gets you to pay attention and allows you to truly be present in the moment.
For me, these are objects of wonder and fulfillment.
One of the only pieces of advice I really want to imbibe comes from a short Mary Oliver poem. It is titled ‘Instructions for living a life’. She writes:
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
My obsession with collecting, receiving and sending postcards allows me to follow these instructions for living a life.
Thanks for watching/reading !
Are there any postcards that you hold dear? Let me know.
Take care,
Nirmal Bhansali