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Over at Zen Habits, Victoria Vargas expounds on the simple joys of smaller living. While the entire post (the entire site actually) is well worth a read, she points out a quaint little travel tip I’d never thought of:
If you’re traveling, send the joy home on a postcard to yourself. At the start of your trip, pick up a handful of postcards and stamps and keep one or two with you at all times. When something you want to remember, some small joy, occurs, you can jot it down and pop it in the mail to yourself to be waiting for you when you return. I picked up this habit some years ago from a travel memoir by Alice Steinbeck called Without Reservations. One of my favorites I sent myself reads:
"Dear Vic, Remember the deer that stopped not two feet from you this morning while you were having coffee on the yoga deck? She looked you right in the eye and then bent down to nibble on the plants without concern. Don’t forget the magic of that moment: the soft shine in her eyes as she gazed into yours and found you to be good company."
It’s easy in the days and weeks that follow the whirlwind of travel to start losing those magical details of your experiences. Keeping a journal works well for some people, but many find it hard to maintain when on the go. Sending a postcard to yourself with just a few lines scribbled on it lets you capture the moment with minimal fuss and relive the joy again once you return home.
I absolutely love this idea. Anyone out there already doing this?