Dear 2012,

When I make my New Year's resolutions, I like them to be measurable. Sure, general overarching goals are great— "Be a Better Person", "Eat Healthier", "Gossip Less"— but success is then objective and relative.

Last year, my resolutions included "Cook 5 new recipes a month" (Success!), "Run at least 5 miles a week" (Fail!). But having a quantitative goal gives me something against which to hold myself accountable.

Anyhow, it's 2012, and while I plan to keep cooking, it's time for a new goal/s. Here's one I'm particularly excited about: "Send one Just for Fun snail mail letter every week."

There's two motivations behind this. 1). I love stamps. I think stamp designs are some of the most charming I've ever seen. 2). Going to the mailbox is a favorite part of my day. Sure, it's usually full of trash, but for that 30 second walk, it feels like anything is possible. So I want to give my friends and family a periodic surprise.

Here's some of the stamps that have inspired this resolution.

So in 2012, I'll finally make a point to use those adorable notecards I love to shop for and design. Besides, we don't know how much longer the USPS is going to be there for us, and I want to take advantage of this amazing public service.

Cheers!