One of the quieter joys of my summer at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area has been something a little unexpected: sending postcards.

In high school, I used to swap letters and notes with pen pals from across the U.S. and the U.K. It was something I looked forward to. Waiting for a letter, decorating envelopes, and slowing down enough to write something by hand. Over time, life got busy, and I fell out of the habit.

But this summer, I decided to bring that habit back in a small way. I sent postcards to fellow interns in the Fish and Feathers Program, just to say hello and let them know I was thinking of them. The messages weren’t anything fancy—just quick check-ins to say “you’ve got this,” and to support them in their own journeys at their parks.