The Postcard Paradox: Less Space, More Heart

Moments Pressed into Paper on World Postcard Day

Dear Reader,

There’s something magical that happens when you give someone a 4 by 6-inch rectangle and ask them to capture their entire experience. Faced with the postcard’s tiny writing space, people don’t hold back. They tell you exactly what matters.

I know something about making the most of small spaces. For five years, I lived in a 90-square-foot apartment that forced me to keep only what I truly needed. Every possession had to earn its place. Living tiny taught me that constraints don’t limit us; they clarify us.

Postcards work the same way: the smaller the space, the bigger the emotion. When you can only fit a few lines, every word must count.

Sampling of some of the hundreds of postcards sent to me.

Give someone a full sheet of paper, and they might spend paragraphs circling around what they really want to say. Give them a postcard, and they cut straight to the heart: “Weather’s perfect. Missing you terribly. Wish you were here to see this sunset.” No introduction, no filler. Just the truth of the moment.

Before social media turned every vacation into an endless photo series, postcards were how we told travel stories. You didn’t need to be a gifted writer or photographer. The tourism industry had already provided the image; your job was simply to add the heart.

For example. A postcard from my mom in 1992.

June 19, 1992
Dearest Felice,
Sedona, AZ is breathtaking. We took a pink Jeep up the mountains and saw incredible sights. I kept thinking you could do this job. The guide was a young female. We also took a hot air balloon over the mountains and forests, all different animals and landscapes. Such grandeur and beauty. We’re now in Lake Powell about to take our 18-foot powerboat through the lake to discover new sites. We miss you.
Love, Mom, Dad, Jackie and Merri
P.S. Dad here. I’m letting my adventures do my talking.

Another element is how these intimate messages travel through the world completely exposed. No envelope, no privacy. Postal workers could read your declarations of love, your homesick confessions, your excited descriptions of new adventures.

In 1990 a college boyfriend wrote me a postcard that I never received. He explained why in his next letter.

September 30, 1990
Dear Felice,
I bought you a postcard, wrote lots of mushy things and carried it around all day looking for a mailbox. My friend Beth offered to carry it and put it inside her journal. Of course, she didn’t read it, I let NO ONE read my private thoughts to you. Except I guess for the stranger who found that postcard. You guessed it. Beth lost her journal. It’s gone, my original postcard’s gone. I shouldn’t put intimate words on postcards in the future. I wonder how many love letters never reach their destination and wind up in some filthy sidewalk never to be read.”

As we celebrate World Postcard Day tomorrow, I’m thinking about the lessons these small rectangles can teach us. What if we approached our communication like postcard writers? When we have less space, we don’t say less, we simply say what matters more.

With love (and a stack of 4”x6” hearts waiting to be mailed),

Felice

P.S. What’s the most memorable postcard you’ve ever received or sent? I’d love to hear about it.

P.P.S. Why not send someone a postcard today, or at least a message with the heart of one: short and sweet.

SONG OF THE WEEK

Postcard by First Aid Kit

CALLING ALL BOOK LOVERS AND CRUISE ENTHUSIASTS! I’ll be one of six featured authors on The Literary Adventures at Sea III Alaska Cruise next spring. Picture this: a week of storytelling, author panels, and book signings while cruising to Alaska—all in collaboration with Sapphire Books. My fellow authors include Georgia Beers, Virginia Black, Isabella, and Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters. Learn more HERE.

Felice Cohen is an award-winning author, best known for squeezing big ideas into small spaces—like her 90-square-foot NYC apartment (yes, really). Her books include Half In: A Coming-of-Age Memoir of Forbidden Love, 90 Lessons for Living Large in 90 Square Feet, and What Papa Told Me, with praise from legends like Elie Wiesel and Rita Mae Brown. Her viral YouTube tour has racked up over 25 million views—mostly from people wondering where she kept her shoes. More at felicecohen.com.