I think cost especially in Australia has a lot to do with it. It’s just so expensive now on top of our cost of living crisis. A luxury that is becoming increasingly difficult to afford.
Also just life in general. Life can change in a second and priority shifts. You just never know what is happening in someone’s world.
Hang in there. Try not to take it personally. Enjoy the time and interactions you were lucky enough to experience.
Sometimes it’s the time and effort involved or something happened which takes the person away from PC, but honestly there’s no real way of knowing.
I’d just wish them well and try to remember the good times. Think about what you learned from the brief interaction. I try to do this when something didn’t quite work out.
I used to be very open hearted with soft boundaries but I found it was getting me down so I started to focus more on relationships with close friends and immediate family. The not knowing why something wasn’t working or a friendship had changed was too heartbreaking.
I still love PC though and find it very relaxing. I’m no longer into long distance friendships or relationships though.
Do you know why or how an account becomes closed, other than the owner closing it? I see so many closed accounts on postcard pages that I doubt that’s the only reason. I’d assume the vast majority of people who stop postcrossing would simply leave their account inactive rather than bothering to close it.
@ericdrive I am not 100% sure, but Postcrossing rarely, if ever, closes accounts. The reasoning is that the inactive person may return and resume their activities. Now, I can’t tell you how often this happens, but sometimes people behave badly and their accounts are suspended. In that scenario, people decide to say goodbye and proceed to close their account.
Of course, the situation you mentioned about their leaving their account inactive and simply walking away, could be true too.
Life just gets in the way sometimes. Like myself. I have moved and then a child moved back home with me. Also taking care of elderly parents plus grandchildren and still working full time. I still enjoy it but things get in the way.
I joined Postcrossing back in 2005 or 2006, and haven’t ever closed my account, but have been inactive for several years at a time.
When Dad died, I had a lot to deal with. I came back to Postcrossing, then slowed down / stopped due to my own health issues. In the US, even with insurance, getting sick is expensive. When the pandemic happened, I was at home alone with my cats and came back to Postcrossing. Last year, my cat got cancer and I had new health problems at the same time. After that, work got very busy. Now I have time for Postcrossing, but in a few weeks, I’ll be involved with Postcards to Voters until I return here for World Postcard Day.
It depends on the person’s situation. They may feel like they no longer feel fulfilled sending or receiving postcards. Some may have found another hobby. Hobbies can also be expensive and can’t keep more than one hobby.
Everyone else has pretty much given the common answers. I’ll just add that I always tell pen and postcard pals upfront that I’ll never stop writing for good without letting them know so even if they don’t hear from me for a bit, they should know that: