Hobbies are tasks, collections, or activities that can fill your spare time, and give you loads of joy in the process -- which is exactly why I think everyone should have 'em. Sometimes, though, getting hobbies is easier said than done. However, I had a unique experience that led me to my favorite hobby: deltiology (collecting postcards).

When I was in seventh grade, in 2009, I lived in Italy. Prior to moving to Europe in the summer of '09, I had lived along the east coast of the U.S., and although I'd been to Canada and visited and/or lived in a dozen-or-so states, I hadn't done much traveling to speak of. So being in a place where we could drive between countries like states was amazing and exciting for my 12-year-old self (and still for my 19-year-old self!).

Anyways, as my family and I began to go to more tourist destinations, I began picking up postcards. After our first few days in Europe, I had collected about five or ten postcards -- enough to send to grandparents and a few envious friends back in the States. However, by the second country, I had already accumulated more postcards than I had addresses to send them to. It was really by accident, but my postcard collection began from my love of purchasing them combined with my lack of places to send them.

Having no people to send postcards seemed a little sad at first, but I slowly began to realize that it was much more fun this way. I loved buying the postcards because they reminded me of the places I'd been and the fun adventures I'd shared with my crazy family. As I grew and moved to Japan, I continued collecting postcards from my travels and began incorporating artistic cards that I liked just for the designs.

My love for postcards grew steadily and before I knew it I had begun exchanging them with random strangers around the globe (it's not as weird as it sounds, really)! Another exciting moment in my experiences as a deltiologist was in the fall of 2014 when I became a member of the online postcard trading forum, postcrossing.com. This site allowed me to expand my collection from my own travels, to include those of my fellow postcard-lovers' experiences from countries all around the world. I now have sent about 35 and received about 35 postcards to a total of 20 countries. I even attended an event in Old Town, San Diego recently, where I met local "Postcrossers" and we discussed our shared hobby.

I'm happy to say that my postcard collection has lasted the initial test of time and continues to grow as I do. Although postcards aren't the only thing out there that can make for a great hobby, it is just one of my personal favorites. I hope that by sharing my story as a deltiologist I can encourage others to do what they love, too, no matter how big, small or strange it may seem!