Spread the Love

I discovered a new web site where people can spread a little love for just the price of a post card and stamp. I hope someone here will check it out and maybe do a little love-spreading too.

It's called "The Postcard Happiness Project," which was created by a woman in South Africa who describes herself as having a "passion for postcards and travel."  The idea is to explore the potential of postcard exchanges in various forms, sending kindness & encouragement where it’s needed most.

Encouraging the world to focus their positive energy onto a small rectangular piece of postcard and sending it to people who could physically and emotionally benefit from a little encouragement or acknowledgement in the form of kind, written words from strangers and friends.

I've never seen a project quite like this and I hope that it takes root because it seems such a simple way to spread love and happiness around the planet.

I heard of it from the profile of a Swap Bot person, who wrote:

I have a pen-pal, a little girl in South Africa that I met through Postcard Happiness Project. She has severe Lyme disease and is bed-ridden. She is so sick that she cannot even write to me anymore, but dictates her messages in a whisper to her mother or granny and they send it to me. Even though she is so ill, her spirit is unbroken. She lives for the post, because she has nothing else to look forward too. She believes in fairies, and if you have any fairy cards or bookmarks or you are really clever and can make something special for her, it would bring a little light into her life. You can find her address ( and picture taken during better times) at Postcard Happiness Project, or send to: Estée Strumpfer P.O. Box 437 Franschhoek 7690 South Africa

If you go to Postcard Happiness, there are quite a few names and addresses of people who could use some cheering up. Thank you!

I went to the site and checked out Estee's story.  The photo was taken "in better days" and her mother's comments tell about how she is in constant pain and can hardly walk, but how the cards, especially from other children, boost her spirit.

Naturally, I sent her a card.  I didn't think I had any fairy cards, but I did have one of Glinda, the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz and thought she might like that.

I'm not sure when the site actually started and how long it has been going, but the organizer writes about her goals:

My vision for this site is to serve as a fire-starter for the postcard “revolution”. A platform for all sorts of beautiful things to develop from postcard sending. I would like to reignite the joys of sending and receiving these little gems around the world simply because they make people happy. I’d like this site to serve as a reminder that receiving something hand-written, hand made and tangible (even though it’s small and inexpensive) is something special.

There is a whole list of people who have requested post cards to be sent to lift someone's spirit for all sorts of reasons.  Someone wrote that a 55 year old woman in Belgium must, of necessity, celebrate her birthday without her daughters around and is very depressed. They thought she would enjoy some good wishes from strangers.

Amber, who lives in the USA, frequently suffers from debilitating pain in her back and legs. She also recently lost her job and the family is looking for a new place to live. They both do the best they can to take great care of their three-year old autistic daughter. A smile sent on a post card might lift her spirits.

Prabhakar, in India, is 83 years old and recently broke both hips, in separate falls.  His friend writes that he is isolated in his recovery and postcards might help him feel connected to the outside world.

Melissa in Australia is fighting cancer.  Two and a half year old Harry in Botswana has just been through open heart surgery and postcards cheer him.   Regine in South Africa just lost her husband.  Ann in the US is suffering from depression, feeling very alone.  Melody, in the US, is fighting colorectal cancer.   She loves daschunds.  Liana, in South Africa, is a 55 year old Italian woman who sells ice cream and was recently violently assaulted.

The list goes on and on, all requests submitted by relatives or friends of the people they thought would appreciate a post card. I don't know how often new requests are posted, but I am going to check back every few weeks or so.  The most recent request is dated July 10.  A postcard costs so little, a stamp is 37 cents for the United States and $1.15 for international.  

It seems a small thing to do to bring a little cheer to someone who could desperately need it.  And the nice thing is that you can be as anonymous as you want.  (Of course the downside is that you never know if or how your card was received.)  The Swap Bot person started writing to Estee regularly and receives letters back, but just a cheer up card with your name on it is all that is necessary.