Mailing Letters
You've got to be careful with New Year resolutions. I try to stay away from them. The reason is, like most, I fail to follow through. Life can be hard enough on its own without adding unrealistic goals on a whim.
Until the tail end of 2025, I only truly found success with one New Year resolution. I made a resolution to drink more green tea. I love green tea - plain and hot. It makes me happy and feel better. The internet tells me its good for my health too - maybe it actually is. I drink green tea daily. This habit is over five years old now.
On 1/1/2025, I resolved to start handwriting and snail mailing correspondence. By December my tally stood at a remarkable total of ZERO. So big deal. Another resolution failed. But in December 2025 I was granted an amateur radio license by the FCC, and, unexpectedly, this facilitated my mailed correspondence resolution.
Ham radio operators have sent and received what they call QSL cards for over a century now. It's simple: If you make contact with another station, you mail them a card detailing the particulars of the contact. Date, time, frequency, power used, mode used, etc. Also, almost always included is a short, kind note to just say hello and thank you. A lot of QSL cards also have pictures and information about the operator's location. I've received cards from all over the world. A card I received from a station in the South Cook Islands is absolutely beautiful.
After being a ham for 10 months, I have sent and received hundreds of QSL cards. It is fun to check the mailbox again. I've really enjoyed this aspect of the hobby. And I am grateful it has provided an outlet for me to send and receive snail mail. Green tea and mailing letters. That's enough resolutions for now.
73 de AI5ZI